SPACE PERSONALIZATION AND PLACE ATTACHMENT OF FOREIGN STUDENTS IN DORMITORIES

A CASE STUDY OF NIGERIAN STUDENTS IN EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN UNIVERSITY

Abstract

Place attachment is important for the psychological stability of students, especially foreign students who leave their home environments for higher institutions outside of their familiar comfort zones. This research work has studied the relationship between space personalization and place attachment for Nigerian students living in Akdeniz dormitories of the Eastern Mediterranean University. The main objective of the study is to determine if space personalization creates feelings of attachment of foreign students to their dormitory and to the university. Quantitative, survey method was used for the research, where data was obtained by randomly distributing close-ended questionnaires to a sample of the Nigerian student population living in Akdeniz dormitory. Simple descriptive statistics was then used to analyze the data. The results confirmed that space personalization is generally important to Nigerian students in dormitories and that as a result of engaging in space personalization, most of the students admitted to some level of attachment to both their dormitories and to the university, thus showing a positive link between space personalization and place attachment. The study concludes by recommending that personalization of space be encouraged in student dormitories by dormitory designers and managers so as to ensure better bonding between foreign students and their environment, which could ultimately lead to better academic performances.