The impact of virtual reality-simulated learning space design on high school students’ attention and stress levels: An indoor environmental quality (IEQ) perspective

The learning and future development of high school students are significantly influenced by the learning spaces they inhabit. Previous studies have shown that the physical environment and design of learning spaces can markedly affect student performance. However, the impact of these design factors on the attention and stress levels of students with different learning styles has not been widely studied.

This study aims to explore the preferences of high school students with different learning styles for their learning environments and to analyze the relationships between spatial layout, ceiling height, window size, indoor greenery, and color choices with students’ attention and stress levels, all within the context of Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ). The study surveyed high school students from the same school, using 120 Kolb Learning Style Inventory questionnaires to classify different learning styles and additional questionnaires to identify students’ preferences for indoor classroom design factors.

Virtual reality (VR) technology was employed to simulate various learning space designs, and students’ physiological and psychological responses in these environments were measured using electroencephalography (EEG) and perceptual questionnaires. During the process, Schulte tables were used to record students’ focus levels to quantify attention. Results indicated that spatial layout, ceiling height, window size, indoor greenery, and color choices significantly affect the preferences of high school students with different learning styles.

Specifically, divergent learners preferred classrooms with regular windows, while convergent learners favored classrooms without plants. Larger spatial scales, blue and green colors, and higher levels of greenery were generally perceived to enhance attention and improve IEQ. The findings suggest that learning space design, particularly through the lens of IEQ, can significantly impact high school students’ attention and emotional outcomes.

These insights provide valuable guidance for educators and designers in considering factors such as spatial layout, ceiling height, window size, indoor greenery, and color choices when creating more effective and supportive learning environments for high school students and students of different age groups.