Physical Environments

Physical Environments:What role does it play in Student Behavior?

Celeste Demby & Patrick Monaco

November 4, 2010

Presentation Goals:

How the physical environment of a campus

can:•Promote Safety and Inclusion•Encourage Involvement •Build Community

Physical Environment

(Komives &Woodard, 2003)

All campuses contain physical features, both natural and synthetic; natural features might include geographic location, terrain, climate, and weather; synthetic features entail architectural design, spatial arrangements, amenities, and layouts

•Architectural Determinism: suggests that there is a rather direct link between the built environment and behavior within it.

•Architectural Possibilism: Views the physical environment as a source of opportunities that may set limits on, but not restrict, behavior.

•Architectural Probabilism: emerged to capture the probabilistic relationship between physical environment and behavior

The Physical Environment Influence

(Strange & Banning, 2001)

Influence of the physical environment has three distinct

positions:

The Campus Tour

(Sturner, 1973; Thelin & Yankovich, 1987)

Physical features are often amongst the most important factors in creating

a critical first impression of an institution

Safety and inclusion are related being that they are both

impacted by campus conditions considered to be requisites for learning and

development

Promoting Safety and Inclusion


Both the location of a building and room within the building have an impact of crime and

vandalism on campus.


Behavioral zoning is critical in the design of a building. Spaces with in the building need to have specific functions that meet students

needs.

-Recreation rooms

-Cafeterias

-Study lounges

-Lounges


Before involvement and community building can occur

students must feel safe. Without this all advanced

learning goals will most likely fail.


(Strange, 2003)

Physical Dimensions of InvolvementKey Concepts:•Campus Location

• Small rural campus vs. Large Urban campus•Human Scale design

•Human scale environments are not over-crowded, blend in with the natural surroundings, and accommodate small numbers of people in structures usually no more than three stories above the ground.

•Layout and Flexibility•Spaces that encourage individuals to spend time interacting with others are described as “sociopetal” or “socially catalytic” spaces. Kuh et al.(1991)

Encouraging Involvement


Strange and Banning (2003)

The physical environment can contribute to college

student learning and development in two

important ways:

The actual features of the physical

environment can encourage or

discourage the process of learning

and development



The process of designing campus

physical environments can also

promote the acquisition of skills

important to the process of

learning and developing.



Ex) George Mason University’s Johnson Center Fairfax, VA

“It’s where the action is. Students flock there for the food, the library, the bookstore, the multimedia facilities, special events,

or just for social interaction”


(Misenick, O’Connor, and Young, 2005)

The physical artifact message of support or non support can take many forms, signaling a sense of belonging and a feeling of being welcomed, a sense of safety, and a sense of role, worth, and

value (Banning & Bartels, 1993)


GMU’s Johnson Center

Built to encourage learning through spatial design

Building Community

(Pascarella, Terenzini, and Bliming 1994).

Students living on campus are more likely to have increased social

interactions with peers and faculty as well as become more involved on

campus

Building Community

(Strange and Banning, 2004)

By nature communities tend to be territorial. Students want to

create a sense of community and the feeling of being at home.

Building Community

(Evans & McCoy, 1998)

Buildings with a design that includes varying levels of stimulus isolation will

allow the individual to have more control over their socialization. The design of the

building should include spaces that promote solitude or intimacy, small group

interaction, and promote contact with others.

Building Community

(Evans and McCoy 1998)

The arrangement of the furniture within a physical space can have an impact on the potential of social

interaction. Furniture that is easily movable, provides a level of comfortable personal space, promotes eye contact, and has a comfortable design contributes to

the overall social experience.

Building Community

(Evans & McCoy, 1998)

Buildings with a design that includes varying levels of stimulus isolation will

allow the individual to have more control over their socialization. The design of the

building should include spaces that promote solitude or intimacy, small group

interaction, and promote contact with others.

A Hierarchy of Learning Environment Purposes


Safety and Inclusion(Sense of belonging and Security)

Involvement(Participation, Engagement, Role-Taking)

Community (Full Membership)

Conclusion

Questions?

Documents

Physical Environments