PERCEIVED INDOOR ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY AND CLASSROOM CONDITIONS IN HIGHER EDUCATION: IMPLICATIONS FOR IMPROVING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS IN A NIGERIAN UNIVERSITY

Abstract

Indoor environmental quality (IEQ) is a critical part of any learning environment. It affects how comfortable students feel, how well they cope, and how well they learn. A quantitative cross-sectional survey was used, supported by a qualitative component. Data were collected from 110 undergraduate students using a structured questionnaire covering indoor air quality, thermal comfort, noise, lighting, and classroom characteristics. After screening, 97 valid responses were analysed using descriptive statistics, Cronbach's alpha, the Kruskal–Wallis H test, Spearman's rank-order correlation, and thematic content analysis. Classroom characteristics, particularly overcrowding and reliance on open-window ventilation, recorded the highest mean perception score (M=3.49, SD=0.90), followed by noise (M=3.15, SD=0.89) and lighting (M=3.15, SD=0.95). Perceptions were broadly similar across academic levels, though noise perceptions differed significantly between 200-level and 400-level students (H=8.396, p=0.015). All five IEQ dimensions showed a statistically significant positive relationship with students' perceived learning experience, and thermal comfort had the strongest association (ρ=0.520, p<0.001). Students identified better ventilation, better furniture, and better lighting as their top priorities for improvement. The findings show that listening to how students experience their classrooms gives practical, context-specific evidence for improving university learning spaces, especially in resource-constrained institutions like those in Nigeria. Based on these findings, the study recommends a tiered set of interventions for architects, facilities managers, and institutional planners, prioritising low-cost measures such as improved ventilation management and routine maintenance while directing medium- and long-term investment toward thermal comfort and indoor air quality, the two dimensions most strongly linked to perceived learning.