Edith Cowan University Research Online Theses : Honours Theses 2000 The Factors That Influence Psychological Sense of Community for Students Living on Campus at Edith Cowan University Colleen Dalton Edith Cowan University Follow this and additional works at: https://ro.au/theses_hons Part of the Civic and Community Engagement Commons Recommended Citation Dalton, C. The Factors That Influence Psychological Sense of Community for Students Living on Campus at Edith Cowan University.au/theses_hons/865 This Thesis is posted at Research Online.au/theses_hons/865 Edith Cowan University Copyright Warning You may print or download ONE copy of this document for the purpose of your own research or study. The University does not authorize you to copy, communicate or otherwise make available electronically to any other person any copyright material contained on this site. You are reminded of the following: Copyright owners are entitled to take legal action against persons who infringe their copyright.
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USE OF THESIS The Use of Thesis statement is not included in this version of the thesis. Psychological Sense of Community Running head: PSYCHOLOGICAL SENSE OF COMMUNITY EDITH COWAN UNIVERSITY LIBRARY The Factors That Influence Psychological Sense of Community For students Living on Campus at Edith Cowan University. Colleen Dalton A Report Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Award of Bachelor of Arts (Psychology) Honours Faculty of Community Studies, Education and Social Sciences, Edith Cowan University. October, 2000 I declare that this written assignment is my own work and does not include: (i) material from published sources used without proper acknowledgment; or (ii) material copied from the work of other students.
Psychological Sense of Community 11 The Factors That Influence Psychological Sense of Community For students Living on Campus at Edith Cowan University. Abstract A psychological sense of community (PSOC) has been found to facilitate adjustment and well-being. However, little research has been conducted in Australian universities. In order to gain a deeper understanding of the phenomena, a qualitative approach was adopted.
This research explored PSOC from the participants' perspective using McMillan and Chavis's (1986) theoretical framework as a guide and investigated the following research questions. (1) What is the residential students' perception of PSOC, at Edith Cowan University (ECU)? (2) What factors, within the student village, facilitate and inhibit PSOC? (3) What factors within the university setting and beyond, in the wider community, facilitate and inhibit PSOC? Fifteen ECU students, living in the student village, on the Joondalup campus, participated in this study. Postgraduate and undergraduate students, from a variety of academic disciplines, took part. There were six females and nine males.
The participants ranged in age from 18 - 43 years. The nationality of participants varied, including Australian, British, Kenyan, New Zealander, Singaporean, Sri Lankan, Thai, and Zimbabwean. The findings support the interactionist perspective, and emphasise the importance of a positive PSOC to the adjustment process. The research also highlights the role that the university plays in facilitating a positive PSOC.
The university can facilitate a positive PSOC, through providing orientation, educational continuity and recognition, security, acceptance, educational flexibility and resources, clubs, outings, social events, and personal support. Author: Colleen Dalton Supervisor: Dr. Christopher Sonn Submitted: October, 2000 Psychological Sense of Community 111 Declaration I certify that this thesis does not incorporate, without acknowledgment, any material previously submitted for a degree or diploma in any institution of higher education and that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, it does not contain any material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made in the text. Psychological Sense of Community 1v Acknowledgments I would like to acknowledge the generous support and assistance from a number of people without whose help this thesis would not have been completed.
I wish to thank my supervisor Dr. Christopher Sonn, for sharing his expertise, supervision and support. Thanks to Julie Reddin for her kindness and assistance. I would like to thank Geoff Janvanovich, for all his assistance and support.
I wish to thank all the residential students who participated in this study. A special thankyou to my husband Ian for all his love, support, assistance and patience. With humble devotion and love, I offer this completed thesis to Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. Thanks for giving me your grace, love and inspiration.
Psychological Sense of Community v Table of Contents Title 1 Abstract ii Declaration 111 Acknowledgments IV Table of Contents V Introduction 1 Community 2 Psychological Sense of Community 3 Culture and Adjustment 15 Psychological Sense of Community Framework 21 Rationale and Research Questions 23 Method 26 Qualitative Approach 26 Participants 26 Materials 27 Procedure 28 Analysis 30 Provisions for Trustworthiness 32 Findings 34 Membership 34 Boundaries 35 Emotional Safety 37 Sense of Belonging and Identification 39 Personal Investment 42 Common Symbol System 44 Influence 46 Integration and Fulfilment of Needs 49 Shared Emotional Connection 54 Environment 56 Noise 56 Privacy and Crowding 58 Architectural and Interior Design 58 Pollution and Environmental Degradation 59 Weather and Climate 59 Environmental Press 59 Culture and Adjustment 60 Cultural Diversity 60 Culture Shock 61 Homesickness 61 Adaptation 62 Floating Population 63 Discussion 64 References 79 Appendix A: Introductory Letter 87 Appendix B: Consent Form 88 Appendix C: Demographic Form 89 Appendix D: Interview Schedule 90 Psychological Sense of Community 1 Introduction The demand for a university education has increased with time, along with its associated costs (Department of Education, Training and Youth Affairs, 1998). The funding system for Australian universities has also changed, with the introduction of fee-paying courses. Australian universities are now more than ever, seeking to generate greater revenue. One method that the universities have adopted to achieve this goal is by openly competing with one another, through advertisements and marketing campaigns to attract local, national, and international students.
University educators realise that they must provide more than just an education if they are to compete, attract, and retain students. Ender, Kane, Mable, and Strohm (1980), argue that: Creating community in residence halls has increasingly become a major objective for residence educators. Colleges and universities are expected to offer students numerous experiences, to expose them to ideas, to put them in touch with peers and role models, to acquaint them with the many opportunities life affords, and to encourage them to experience themselves in tasks and relationships. Community living in residence halls provides stimulation in these directions.
Thus, creating community in residence halls becomes a significant contribution to individual students and staff, residence education programs, and potentially to society. 1) In order to create community, one must understand what facilitates and inhibits a sense of community for the individual in context. Although much research has been conducted on sense of community in relation to different referent groups, little research has been undertaken on university residential communities in an Australian context. Psychological Sense of Community 2 Community One of the problems for researchers wanting to understand more about communities is that there is no one, clear operational definition (Bishop, 1984).
Research by Bardo and Hughey (1984) found that within the social sciences, the term 'community' has a number of meanings. Puddifoot (1996) and Wiesenfeld (1996) also suggest that there is no one fixed definition for community. Wiesenfeld (1996) argues that the lack of a consistent definition is due to the number of diverse theories and different methods that researchers have adopted, to study this construct. Furthermore, Dunham (1986) suggests that the meaning of community has changed over time.
First, for centuries the idea of community was tied to place. Second, there are three central factors-the industrial revolution, the increase of scientific knowledge, and the increase in the speed of communication from the telegraph to the satellite-that have destroyed the notion of community as tied to place. Third, there is the urbanization of the world that has taken place during the past two centuries (Dunham, 1986, p. Wiesenfeld (1996) indicates that community is not static, rather it evolves and changes over time.
Wiesenfeld ( 1996) also argues that the nature of community is diverse, dynamic and complex and any definition of this construct should reflect these properties. Furthermore, Duffy and Wong (2000) acknowledge the diverse and changing nature of community."Community has traditionally meant a locality or place such as a neighbourhood. It has also come to mean a relational interaction or social ties that draw people together" (Duffy & Wong, 2000, p. Bishop (1984) describes community as".
a large informal structure that is defined by its networks and collective sense of belonging" (p. Similarly, Chavis Psychological Sense of Community 3 and Newbrough (1986) define community as ". any set of social relations that are bound together by a sense of community" (p. So what is this collective sense of belonging or sense of community that these theorists are referring to and how does one experience it? Psychological Sense of Community Burroughs and Eby (1998) suggest that psychological sense of community is the term used to describe how an individual experiences their community.
Seymour Sarason was the first to formally introduce the concept of a psychological sense of community (PSOC) in 1974. Sarason (1974) defines PSOC as:. the sense that one was part of a readily available, mutually supportive network of relationships upon which one could depend and as a result of which one did not experience sustained feelings ofloneliness that impel one to actions or to adopting a style of living masking anxiety and setting the stage for later and more destructive anguish (p. Sarason (1974) goes on to suggest that it is not a matter of how many loved ones and close friends that an individual has, but how available they are.
If family or friends are not part of your everyday life then this will do little to improve you daily PSOC. In fact, this occasional contact can exacerbate the lack of a PSOC and the feelings associated with it, namely, loneliness, alienation and isolation. PSOC can provide individuals with meaning and direction in their lives. Sarason (1974) indicates that people earnestly strive to part of a social network, to belong to a community.
Baumeister and Leary (1995) argue that the ". need to belong is a fundamental human motivation" (p. Baumeister and Leary (1995) found that people readily form social relationships and they have a tendency to spend a lot of time, effort and Psychological Sense of Community 4 energy cultivating supportive relationships with other people. Baumeister and Leary (1995) also suggest that once social bonds are formed, individuals display a reluctance to break these bonds.
Research suggests that primary social bonds can not be broken without some distress. Many of the strongest emotions people experience, both positive and negative, are linked to belongingness. Evidence suggests a general conclusion that being accepted, included, or welcomed leads to a variety of positive emotions (e., happiness, elation, contentment, and calm), whereas being rejected, excluded, or ignored leads to potent negative feelings (e., anxiety, depression, grief, jealousy, and loneliness) (Baumeister & Leary, 1995, p. Like Sarason (1974), Baumeister and Leary (1995) indicate that it is not enough to possess social bonds alone.
Interactions must be frequent, positive and with the same people. Furthermore, individuals who do not have a sense of belonging are prone to broad range behaviour problems, are more likely to commit suicide and are more likely to suffer from mental and or physical illness (Baurmeister & Leary, 1995).