education
sciences
Article
Design and Validation of a Questionnaire on Influence of the
University Classroom on Motivation and Sociability
Mariana-Daniela González-Zamar * , Luis Ortiz Jiménez and AdoraciónSánchez Ayala
Citation: González-Zamar, M.-D.;
Jiménez, L.O.; Ayala, A.S. Design and
Validation of a Questionnaire on
Influence of the University Classroom
on Motivation and Sociability. Educ.
Sci. 2021, 11, 183. https://doi.org/
10.3390/educsci11040183
Academic Editor: James Albright
Received: 21 March 2021
Accepted: 8 April 2021
Published: 13 April 2021
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4.0/).
Department of Education, University of Almeria, 04120 Almeria, Spain; lortiz@ual.es (L.O.J.);
aayala@ual.es (A.S.A.)
* Correspondence: mgz857@ual.es
Abstract: In recent years, the changes experienced in the educational and social field have been
reflected in the growing interest in defining how the attributes of the learning space affect students.
This study seeks to determine the influence exerted by the design and organization of the univer-
sity classroom on motivation and social interaction. The objective was to develop and validate a
measurement instrument to evaluate the impact of the university classroom design on the student,
considering their physical, environmental, perceptual, and motivational attributes. The questionnaire
was applied to a sample of 402 students from the University of Almeria (Spain). The reliability and
content validity of the construct were analyzed. Reliability was demonstrated by a Cronbach’s alpha
of 0.938 for the dimensions with quantitative cut items, being highly satisfactory. The Chi-square
goodness of fit test analyzed the qualitative items. Content validity was subject to expert judgment.
It is concluded that the presented instrument meets the required technical attributes, to be considered
a reliable and valid educational tool for measurement.
Keywords: questionnaire; validation; classroom; motivation; sociability; higher education
1. Introduction
Starting from the concept of the human being as the central axis of the learning pro-
cess, the educational space of the classroom is considered as the place where students live,
coexist, transfer knowledge, and, therefore, are formed as free citizens and protagonists of
society. Nowadays, learning spaces are not understood as a simple volumetric container of
activities, but their concept goes beyond a mere architectural object. This, being appropri-
ated by students and teachers, manages to influence academic motivation, behavior, and
social relationships [1].
Even though practically any place could be used to teach and learn, the design and
organization that acquires a space explicitly proposed for this purpose manages to favor
the cultural exchange of norms and values, in addition to experiential and attitudinal
learning. To this day, the classroom continues to be the physical setting that symbolizes
school pedagogy par excellence. It is the traditional basic cell and the cornerstone in the
construction of school buildings [2].
In recent decades, both the progress made in educational theories and paradigms and
the introduction of innovative pedagogical strategies and information and communication
technologies (ICT) have generated the need to rethink changes in educational research.
All of them focused on investigating the transformations that the design, structure, and
organization of learning spaces should undergo. In this sense, universities must implement
new methodologies adapted to ICT and the physical, environmental, technological, and
social needs and conditions of classrooms and their students [3,4].
The university, in its institutional role as a social and cultural space par excellence,
requires imminent actions, even more so after the implementation of the Bologna Plan in
2010 and its European Higher Education Area (EHEA). Its implementation required a leap
in quality, requiring a new positioning before society as an architectural, environmental,
Educ. Sci. 2021, 11, 183. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11040183 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/education