Afifi Samar, Kamel Tarek, Ezzeldin Sherif
Department of Architecture Engineering and Environmental Design, College of Engineering and Technology, Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport -Heliopolis, Cairo, Egypt.
Department of Architectural Engineering and Environmental Design, College of Engineering and Technology, Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport - South Valley Branch, Aswan, Egypt.
Sci Rep. 2025 May 9;15(1):16245. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-98602-y.
Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) has a significant impact on occupant satisfaction in educational buildings. Key influencing factors include indoor air quality, thermal comfort, visual comfort, and acoustical comfort. These parameters are critical as they directly impact students' health, academic performance, and learning processes, underscoring the urgent need for research in this underexplored context. The novelty of this study is evaluating the IEQ in elementary school classrooms in Nasr City, Egypt, a densely populated city with a hot, arid climate, while also assessing the differences in IEQ among governmental, private, and experimental schools. This study examines the perceptions of fifth-grade students regarding indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in naturally ventilated elementary school classrooms in Nasr City, Egypt, a densely populated city with an arid climate. The research took a questionnaire approach, and questionnaires were distributed to students across five schools. The responses were then analyzed using SPSS software. The results indicate that generally favorable opinions regarding seating location, natural ventilation, and lighting quality. However, assessments vary by school and classroom; for instance, students seated near open windows reported increased energy levels and focus. This implies that there is a need for strategies to optimize in-classroom layout and ventilation systems, which play a significant role in keeping students engaged in learning activities. However, several challenges were identified, including seasonal discomfort related to temperature fluctuations, excessive noise from street and playground activities, and occasional dissatisfaction with air freshness, especially in classrooms with closed windows. The limitations of this study include a restricted sample size, constraints imposed by local authorities on data collection, and a single-grade focus, which limits the generalizability of the findings. This illustrates the importance of conducting further research to authenticate the results across various educational settings. Ultimately, this study emphasizes the importance of targeted indoor environmental quality (IEQ) improvements in schools to enhance students' learning experiences and overall well-being. The findings provide valuable insights for policymakers and educational stakeholders by highlighting the main challenges and potential benefits of naturally ventilated classrooms in densely populated, arid urban settings, thereby helping fill a gap in publicly available information concerning IEQ in developing nations.
室内环境质量（IEQ）对教育建筑中的居住者满意度有重大影响。关键影响因素包括室内空气质量、热舒适度、视觉舒适度和声学舒适度。这些参数至关重要，因为它们直接影响学生的健康、学业成绩和学习过程，凸显了在这个未充分探索的背景下进行研究的迫切需求。本研究的新颖之处在于评估埃及纳斯尔城小学教室的室内环境质量，该城市人口密集，气候炎热干燥，同时还评估政府学校、私立学校和实验学校之间室内环境质量的差异。本研究调查了埃及纳斯尔城（一个人口密集、气候干旱的城市）自然通风的小学教室中五年级学生对室内环境质量（IEQ）的看法。该研究采用问卷调查法，问卷分发给了五所学校的学生。然后使用SPSS软件对回答进行分析。结果表明，学生对座位位置、自然通风和照明质量普遍持正面看法。然而，不同学校和教室的评价有所不同；例如，坐在靠近开着窗户位置的学生报告说精力更充沛、注意力更集中。这意味着需要优化教室布局和通风系统的策略，这些策略在让学生参与学习活动方面起着重要作用。然而，也发现了一些挑战，包括与温度波动相关的季节性不适、街道和操场活动产生的过多噪音，以及偶尔对空气清新度的不满，特别是在窗户关闭的教室里。本研究的局限性包括样本量有限、当地当局对数据收集的限制以及仅关注一个年级，这限制了研究结果的普遍性。这说明了进行进一步研究以在各种教育环境中验证结果的重要性。最终，本研究强调了在学校针对性地改善室内环境质量（IEQ）以提升学生学习体验和整体幸福感的重要性。研究结果通过突出人口密集、干旱城市环境中自然通风教室的主要挑战和潜在益处，为政策制定者和教育利益相关者提供了有价值的见解，从而有助于填补发展中国家关于室内环境质量的公开信息空白。
