The effects of residence hall type on student perceptions of social climate and living environment at Appalachian State University
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to provide feedback on the social climate and living environments that had been created and that existed within three distinctly different types of living arrangements within the residence halls at Appalachian State University during the 1997-1998 academic year. This study asked the following question. When controlling for past academic performance, what differences exist in the perceptions of the social climate and living environment as measured by the ten sub-scales of the University Residence Environment Scale within an Honors hall, Living and Learning Center, and a Conventional hall? With the descriptive information on the perceptions of the social climates, Housing and Residence Life staff can objectively evaluate the overall residence hall program currently serving Appalachian State University students. Information from an Honors hall, Living and Learning Center, and a Conventional hall provided feedback from the three most prominent types of living arrangements on the Appalachian State University campus. The results from a MANOVA indicated that a significant difference did exist among the three types of residence halls, (F = 8.906 df = 20 p $<$.0001). To determine on which sub-scales the three residence halls differed, a univariate ANOVA was performed using p $<$.005. This test revealed significant differences in seven of the ten University Residence Environment Scale sub-scales. Emotional Support, Competition, and Order and Organization were not found to be significantly different between the three types of residence halls. Using a Pairwise Comparison on the remaining seven University Residence Environment Scale sub-scales, the differences between the types of residence halls were determined. This study supported the body of research that differentiates between residence halls with an academic emphasis and the conventional residence hall. Also, this study provided evidence that significant differences did exist between those residence halls with an academic emphasis.
Subject Area
School administration|Higher education|Educational sociology
Recommended Citation
Thomas Franklin Wright,
"The effects of residence hall type on student perceptions of social climate and living environment at Appalachian State University"
(1998).
ETD Collection for Tennessee State University.
Paper AAI9907866.
https://digitalscholarship.tnstate.edu/dissertations/AAI9907866