Educational space design has traditionally focused on standardised environments; recent research suggests that individual spatial preferences may affect learning outcomes. Objective: This paper discusses the relationship between individual spatial preferences and learning performance in educational settings. In a virtual reality setting, participants (N = 60) completed a memory task in different virtual educational settings. Learning performance was assessed using recall tests to measure memory retention and semi-structured interviews to explore spatial preferences. Learning environment design conditions comprised 6 variations: 2 lighting temperatures, 2 colours, and 2 room proportions. A mixed methods approach was employed to analyse the interaction between individual spatial preferences and memory performance across these virtual settings. The study shows that designing spaces based on individual preferences can enhance learning performance. Findings reveal a noticeable interaction between individual spatial preferences and memory performance. Participants whose spatial preferences aligned with the spatial configuration had retention scores 79.2% higher than those in non-preferred environments. Interestingly, this preference-performance relationship remained consistent across all conditions, although performance improvements were particularly notable, at 85.7% in the room condition, 77.8% in the light condition, and 75% in the colour condition. These findings deepen our theoretical understanding of person-environment fit in educational settings, showing that adaptable spatial designs can improve learning outcomes. This approach promotes evidence-based, user-centred design strategies that optimise educational spaces for diverse cognitive needs, shifting from one-size-fits-all solutions to more flexible, adaptive learning environments.

Authors:
Walaa Aljehani, Lancaster University, United Kingdom
Ana Rute Costa, Lancaster University, United Kingdom
Michelle To, Lancaster University, United Kingdom

About the Presenter(s)
Walaa Aljehani , lecturer at Taif University in Saudi Arabia and a PhD candidate in architecture at Lancaster University, UK.

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