Abstract

The current study focuses on the impact of learning space upon student learning in higher education. The issue of learning space has not historically attracted a great deal of attention in higher education, but this situation is changing as notable studies of the connections between space and learning considerations have emerged globally recently. Among these discussions, rigorous and multi-layered models and knowledge of the role of learning space in influencing student learning in higher education is relatively lacking, few conclusive agreements have been reached.

To fill the gaps in the literature, the study aims to develop a detailed understanding of the notion of learning space by incorporating contemporary insights of student learning in higher education, and seek to investigate how learning space impacts on students’ approaches to learning, students’ conceptions of learning and students’ learning motivation. The focus of the empirical work will be on two learning spaces in China, selected according to the distinct differences in their representative pedagogical purposes and physical features. By conducting a comparative case study through a variety of methods, the results will be compared and contrasted to obtain an insight into how learning spaces could impact on student learning in higher education.