Comparative Analysis of Student Comfort Between Ideal and Existing Classrooms Based on Thermal and Lighting Conditions
Abstract
This study aims to analyze the differences in students’ comfort levels between classrooms with ideal temperature and lighting conditions and those with existing conditions. Physical environmental conditions significantly influence students' concentration and learning effectiveness; however, a critical gap often exists between the ideal environmental parameters established in educational design and the actual conditions experienced by students in daily learning activities. A quantitative quasi-experimental comparative design was employed, involving 32 tenth-grade students of the TJKT program at SMK Negeri 2 Surakarta. To control for individual perceptual biases, a within-subjects design was utilized, wherein all students experienced and evaluated both conditions. Data were collected using a 40-item comfort questionnaire covering thermal comfort, visual comfort, and learning environment support, which demonstrated high reliability (Cronbach’s Alpha = 0.979). Data were analyzed using paired sample t-tests. The results revealed a significant difference in comfort scores between the ideal classroom (M = 142.00) and the existing classroom (M = 111.19), with t(15) = 26.919, p < 0.001. These findings demonstrate that optimizing temperature and lighting conditions substantially enhances student comfort, underscoring the need for targeted physical environment improvements in educational facilities.
References
Afifi, S., Kamel, T., & Ezzeldin, S. (2025). Indoor environmental quality assessment of naturally ventilated school classrooms within a dense arid urban setting of Cairo, Egypt. Scientific Reports, 15, Article 16245. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-98602-y
American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers. (2020). ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 55-2020: Thermal environmental conditions for human occupancy. ASHRAE.
Baloch, R. M., Maesano, C. N., Christoffersen, J., Mandin, C., Csobod, E., de Oliveira Fernandes, E., & Annesi-Maesano, I. (2021). Daylight and school performance in European schoolchildren. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(1), Article 258. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18010258
Barrett, P., Davies, F., Zhang, Y., & Barrett, L. (2015). The impact of classroom design on pupils’ learning: Final results of a holistic, multi-level analysis. Building and Environment, 89, 118–133. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2015.02.013
Boyce, P. R. (2014). Human factors in lighting (3rd ed.). CRC Press. https://doi.org/10.1201/b16707
Brink, H. W., Loomans, M. G. L. C., Mobach, M. P., & Kort, H. S. M. (2022). A systematic approach to quantify the influence of indoor environmental parameters on students’ perceptions, responses, and short-term academic performance. Indoor Air, 32(10), Article e13116. https://doi.org/10.1111/ina.13116
Chen, Y., & Li, X. (2024). Impact of classroom lighting uniformity on students’ visual comfort and reading performance. Building and Environment, 245.
Corgnati, S. P., Filippi, M., & Viazzo, S. (2007). Perception of the thermal environment in high school and university classrooms: Subjective preferences and thermal comfort. Building and Environment, 42(2), 951–959. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2005.10.027
Dimitroulopoulou, S., Dudzińska, M., Gunnarsen, L., Hägerhed, L., Maula, H., Singh, R., Toyinbo, O., & Haverinen-Shaughnessy, U. (2023). Indoor air quality guidelines from across the world: An appraisal considering energy saving, health, productivity, and comfort. Environment International, 178, Article 108127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2023.108127
Gao, B., Fu, Y., Gao, J., Liu, H., & Gao, W. (2025). Effects of the light environment in elementary school classrooms on students’ cognitive performance and galvanic skin indicators. Indoor Air, Article 3122870. https://doi.org/10.1155/ina/3122870
Kamaruzzaman, S. N., Egbu, C. O., Zawawi, E. M. A., Karim, S. B. A., & Woon, C. J. (2015). Occupants’ satisfaction toward building environmental quality: Structural equation modeling approach. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 187(5), Article 242. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-015-4447-0
Kim, J., & Park, S. (2025). The mediating role of thermal comfort in the relationship between indoor environmental quality and student engagement. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 92.
Kohl, T., et al. (2024). Introducing the comfort performance gap in new educational buildings: A case study. arXiv. https://arxiv.org/abs/2401.10612
Kwon, T., & Lee, K. (2023). Effects of dynamic lighting on circadian rhythms and academic performance in high school classrooms. Lighting Research & Technology, 55(4), 312–328.
Lan, L., et al. (2025). Effects of indoor thermal and lighting environments on students’ comfort and learning performance. Energy and Buildings.
Liu, Z., et al. (2024). Evaluating the impact of natural ventilation and shading devices on thermal comfort in tropical school classrooms. Journal of Building Engineering.
Lyu, T., et al. (2025). Thermal comfort perception and adaptive behaviours of students in educational buildings. Building and Environment.
Mansouri, K., Sriti, L., & Guedouh, M. S. (2022). Post-occupancy evaluation of thermal comfort sensation of pupils in school establishments under hot arid climate conditions. Technium Social Sciences Journal, 34(1), 180–192. https://doi.org/10.47577/tssj.v34i1.7096
Mendes, L., et al. (2023). Acoustic and thermal comfort in educational spaces: A combined approach to indoor environmental quality. Applied Acoustics, 201, Article 109112. [Perlu verifikasi metadata.]
Miao, S., Gangolells, M., & Tejedor, B. (2023). A comprehensive assessment of indoor air quality and thermal comfort in educational buildings in the Mediterranean climate. Indoor Air, 2023(1), Article 6649829. https://doi.org/10.1155/2023/6649829
Miri, S. M., Faubel, C., Demarquet Alban, U., & Martinez-Molina, A. (2025). Impact of indoor environmental quality on students’ attention and relaxation levels during lecture-based instruction. Buildings, 15(16), Article 2813. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15162813
Norazman, N., Mohd Nashruddin, S. N. A., & Che Ani, A. I. (2023). Post occupancy evaluation (POE) for enhancing satisfaction level of comforts in Malaysia’s school buildings. Journal of Technology and Operations Management, 18(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.32890/jtom2023.18.1.1
Połednik, B., Guz, Ł., Piotrowicz, A., Dumała, S. M., & Badora, A. (2025). Indoor environmental quality and student performance in naturally ventilated classrooms. Civil and Environmental Engineering Reports, 35(4), 192–211. https://doi.org/10.59440/ceer/214168
Schakib-Ekbatan, K., et al. (2019). Occupants’ satisfaction as a feedback tool for building performance evaluation. Frontiers of Architectural Research, 8(1), 55–65.
Silva, C., et al. (2023). Post-occupancy evaluation of school buildings: Assessing the gap between design intentions and actual thermal comfort. Building Research & Information, 51(5), 512–528.
Simbolon, E., et al. (2025). Analisis dampak lingkungan kelas terhadap konsentrasi belajar siswa. Irsyaduna, 5(1), 116–128.
Valiyappurakkal, V. K., et al. (2025). Assessing indoor environmental quality of naturally ventilated classrooms in tropical climates. Journal of Building Engineering, 111, Article 113048. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2025.113048
Wargocki, P., & Wyon, D. P. (2017). Ten questions concerning thermal and indoor air quality effects on the performance of office work and schoolwork. Building and Environment, 112, 359–366. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2016.11.020
Zhang, L., et al. (2023). The influence of classroom layout and furniture on students’ thermal comfort and posture. Ergonomics, 66(8), 1102–1115.
Copyright (c) 2026 Dewanda Adi Nur Hidayat, Febri Liantoni, Cucuk Wawan Budiyanto
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
The BIP is under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, according to which:
1) Authors retain copyright with the work simultaneously licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution that allows the sharing of articles published with the acknowledgment of authorship and the initial publication in this journal.
2) The authors are authorized to make additional contracts separately for distribution of the version of the work published in this journal (for example, publication in an institutional repository or as a chapter of the book), as long as there is recognition of authorship and initial publication in this journal.
3) Authors are authorized and encouraged to publish and distribute their work online (for example, in institutional repositories or on their personal pages) at any time before or during the editorial process, as it increases the impact and reference of the published work.
