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. 2021 Sep 6;18(17):9391.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph18179391.

Effects of Classroom Design on the Memory of University Students: From a Gender Perspective

María Luisa Nolé  1 , Juan Luis Higuera-Trujillo  1 , Carmen Llinares  1
Affiliations

Effects of Classroom Design on the Memory of University Students: From a Gender Perspective

María Luisa Nolé et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Classroom design has important effects on the cognitive functions of students. However, this relationship has rarely been analysed in terms of gender. The aim of the present study, therefore, is to analyse the influence of different design variables (classroom geometry, wall colour, and artificial lighting) on university students' memories from a gender perspective. To do so, 100 university students performed a memory task while visualising different design configurations using a virtual reality setup. Key results show that certain parameters, such as 5.23 m classroom width, 10,500 Kelvin lighting colour temperature, or the blue hue on the walls influence men and women in a similar way, while a purple hue or walls with low colour saturation can generate significantly different behaviour, especially in cognitive processes such as short-term memory. In this study, the use of virtual reality proved to be a useful tool to explore the design effects of virtual learning environments, increasingly present due to training trends and catalysed by the 2020 pandemic. This is a turning point and an international novelty as it will enable the design of classrooms (both physical and virtual) that maximise the cognitive functions of learners, regardless of gender.

Keywords: classroom design; gender; learning processes; memory; psychological responses; virtual classroom.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
General methodological scheme.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Virtual classrooms modified in geometry.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Virtual classrooms modified in colour.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Virtual classrooms modified in lighting.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Average level of presence for each simulated classroom.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Standardised means of the psychological memory task for women, Memory-Correct Responses for women.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Normalised means of Memory-Correct Answers in men’s sample.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Normalised means of the psychological memory task. Memory-Correct Answers for men are shown in blue; and for women shown in orange. An asterisk marks the significant differences between genders.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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