A Systematic Review on Social and Physical Factors Influencing Students’ Performance in Informal Learning Spaces

The informal learning spaces (ILSs), as the core carrier supporting students’ autonomous learning and social interaction, have become an indispensable component of modern campuses. However, existing research still has limitations, including the ambiguous definition of ILSs and the lack of analysis of the synergy between social and physical dimension factors and students’ performance. To further explore the above problems, this review conducted a systematic review, in which all included literature was analysed following the PRISMA guidelines. This review retrieved 33 empirical studies from multiple databases in the fields of education, architecture and library science published from 2000 to 2025. The results of this review show that ILSs can be defined as dynamic ecosystems primarily designed to support self-directed and collaborative learning. The ecosystem integrates technological infrastructure, flexible layouts and social interaction to accommodate diverse learning needs. Meanwhile, ILSs’ design needs to coordinate and balance the multiple influencing factors across the social and physical dimensions. Although synthesising findings inevitably involves subjective judgement, this review can provide design guidelines for educators, architects, and policymakers that account for both students’ needs and adaptive functional configurations, thereby offering a practical path to achieving inclusive learning environments and sustainable campus development.