Social Environments of University Student Living Groups

Abstract

The relationships among architectural characteristics (e.g., proportion of single rooms, presence of snack bar or vending machine), organizational structure and functioning (e.g., student activities and student decision-making power), and the social environments of 87 university student living groups were investigated. The social environment may be an important mediator of the effects of architectural and organizational characteristics of student living groups. For example, living groups with a greater proportion of single rooms had more emphasis on academic achievement, and less emphasis on social interactions and a feeling of friendship, on concern for others in the house, on open and honest communication, on spontaneity, and on the number and variety of new activities. Architectural, organizational, and social environmental measures must be used together if one wishes to construct accurate and complete descriptions of the overall environments of university student living groups.