Across several decades, educational researchers have investigated the contribution of the learning environment to the attainment of educational goals, such as improving academic achievement and motivation to learn. The term learning environment not only includes physical activities in the classroom (e.g. experiments kits, computers), but also includes teaching methods, the type of learning in which pupils are engaged, and assessment methods. In this research, we refined an approach to measuring the impact of a variety of classroom features on many different learning outcomes through the lens of students' perception. A new instrument, the Design-Based Learning Environment Questionnaire (DBLEQ), was field-tested in an eighth-grade USA science classroom setting. This study examined pre-post changes for two different curricula, one emphasising design-based learning (n = 464) and another emphasising scripted inquiry (n = 248). The value of the instrument and ways of analysing its data are illustrated through the range of differences that were found between conditions over time.