Study-space availability and access are associated with campus satisfaction

Updated Sep 07, 2026

Katja Ninnemann and colleagues examined informal learning spaces at universities in Austria, Germany, Italy and Türkiye. Their paper appeared online on 21 May 2026 in Higher Education Research & Development. Paper and DOI.

Evidence available for this briefing: indexed publisher methods, results, discussion and selected PDF passages were accessible. This is a limited review; the complete paper and supplementary material were not retrieved.

What the study reports

The research combined 932 survey responses, collected in May–July 2022, with nine focus groups involving 29 students and 27 lecturers, held in May–November 2022.

Perceived availability and accessibility were positively associated with campus satisfaction. The full six-predictor regression model accounted for 34.1% of the variance; that figure should not be attributed to the two space variables alone. The other predictors concerned gender, age, degree and personal challenges.

Participants described barriers including restricted hours, difficulty finding spaces and limited information. The study is cross-sectional: it cannot establish that changing access causes greater satisfaction. The authors also acknowledge recruitment differences and substantial overlap between their newly developed availability and accessibility measures. Publisher methods, results and limitations.

Turn a local concern into a testable question

Our practical suggestion is to identify the space and activity a comment refers to before assigning an action. Check whether the concern involves capacity, access arrangements, information, equipment or something else.

Use operational records and accessible follow-up alongside survey responses. A reported shortage can prompt investigation; comments alone do not establish how much capacity exists or which investment will work best.

Preserve campus, question and collection-period context when comparing responses. An aggregate association from these institutions is not a UK benchmark, and an insignificant demographic result does not establish that every group has equal access.

The governance checklist can help define a comment-review process. Any subsequent change should be evaluated on its own evidence, with students involved in interpreting what happened.

Review note, 7 September 2026: corrected attribution of the 34.1% regression result, specified the countries and collection dates, and replaced causal and guaranteed product-benefit claims with the study’s stated limitations.

Reference

Katja Ninnemann, Filiz Keser Aschenberger, Evrim Çetinkaya-Yıldız, Seval Apaydın, Jennifer Schneidt, Christina Ipser, Gregor Radinger and Susanne Geister (2026). Unlocking student satisfaction with campus. The role of availability and accessibility of informal learning spaces. Higher Education Research & Development. DOI: 10.1080/07294360.2026.2670667.