Degree Name

Master of Science in Education (MSEd)

Semester of Degree Completion

2000

Thesis Director

Charles G. Eberly

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to examine students' perceptions of their campus environment, including the physical architecture, landscaping, and campus layout at a medium sized Midwestern public university. The study included student explanations of the photographs they took and a commentary on how they felt the campus environment impacted students. More specifically, this study describes these students' personal experiences on their college campus.

Methodology

The reflexive photographic method was used to gather the information directly from the study participants (Douglas, 1998). The reflexive photographic method was chosen because it was a way to directly observe the perceptions of participating students themselves through the photographs they chose to take. The follow-up photo elicitation interview was used after the photographs were developed in order to find out from the participants directly what the pictures were of and why they were important.

Major Findings

Students find different places and buildings important throughout the campus but the reasons are often similar. There is also a lot of overlap as to what aspects of their physical campus environment are valued. Students are aware of the places that are important to their own experiences as well as the things that stand out on campus as important to students in general. Within the student perceptions, many aspects of the campus environment also serve as symbols of what the administration and the institution itself is trying to say or seems to stand for.

Students are very aware of their physical environment. They are in agreement that the oldest buildings tend to stand out as icons for the institution but they also value the places that are significant to their own experience such as where most of their classes are held or where they live. The students also see the aesthetic conflict between the old and the new architecture on campus.

The residence halls are important as the students' home but also as a representation of residence life in itself because residential life is one of the biggest contributors to the campus community atmosphere. Students perceive somewhat different effects but they all agree that the physical campus environment has a very real impact on students and more specifically, their own collegiate experiences.

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