5.2 Statement of Authorship
5.3.6 Summary
5.3.7.1 Implications for the tertiary sector
In analysis to determine which socially oriented factor was most strongly associated with undergraduates’ outcomes, the study found that integrated support in residences made a large contribution to perceived available belonging support and a larger contribution to residence sense of community. This study also found differences in the levels of integrated support between the four types of residence occupied by participants. Participants residing in flats had the least supportive environment (integrated support), perceived available belonging support, and sense of community, while those in colleges had the most of each. Furthermore, levels of integrated support, perceived available belonging support, and sense of community were not only higher in colleges than in flats but also than in share houses, and “villages”, although the difference in perceived available belonging support between college and
“village” approached, rather than reached, significance. However, while levels of integrated support and perceived available belonging support in flats, share houses, and “villages” were not significantly different, sense of community (residence) was higher in share houses than in flats. Thus, participants in this study residing in share houses appear to perceive a connection to their co-residents as a group, or entity, but not necessarily as individuals.
This paper shows evidence that increases in integrated support in relocated undergraduates’ residences is strongly associated with increases in perceived available belonging support, sense of community among co-residents, and greater regular contact with distal co-residents. Levels of material comfort are largely constrained by the capacity and
159 architectural design of the four types of residence, and any services provided. However, material comfort and commonality show lesser contributions to perceived available belonging support and residence sense of community than do interpersonal care and ease of
communication. The results suggest that the contributions of material comfort and
commonality are indirect, that is, they may provide opportunities for interpersonal care and ease of communication to occur.
Thus, interventions to encourage vertical and lateral care and communication in groups of undergraduates both in residences and universities, should be feasible. However, such interventions might not achieve high levels of perceived available belonging support and sense of community where opportunities for proximal (“face-to-face”) interactions are limited by architecture, course design, or restricted during a pandemic.
Participants with higher perceived available belonging support also show a higher sense of community in their residence and at university. The investigation of relationships between factors and academic success shows mixed results. Perceived available belonging support accounts for a small amount of the variance in GPA-estimate and, consistent with the literature, as it increases so too there is a small increase in intention to persist. However, unlike Karakus (2017), this study found no associations of sense of community in residences, or at universities, with measures of academic success.
In determining associations of perceived available belonging support and sense of community with psychological well-being, this paper reports the following. Increases in participants’ perceived available belonging support had a medium-sized effect on the variance in psychological well-being. Residence sense of community, however, did not contribute significantly to psychological well-being. Nevertheless, belonging is an attribute of sense of community (McMillan & Chavis, 1986), as well as a characteristic of perceived available social support (Cohen & Hoberman, 1983). Like increased perceived available belonging
160 support, increased sense of community at university also made a moderate contribution to psychological well-being. Thus, perceived available belonging support in residences and sense of community at university show balanced contributions to relocated undergraduates’
psychological well-being and both are to be encouraged.
This paper also reports that increased integrated support has a direct association with regular contact with distal co-residents and that the size of effect is large. Increased perception of available belonging support was also associated with increased regular contact with distal co-residents and was a positive influence on contact with distal university peers. Further, regular contact with distal peers by participants who returned home for Semester One was, like integrated support, perceived available belonging support, and sense of community, greatest in colleges. Noteworthy is that college participants who returned home did so after a relatively short period of approximately four to five weeks of co-residency.
The study found a positive, medium-sized effect on the association between sense of community in residence and regular contact with distal co-residents. However, controlling for perceived available belonging support, the contribution of sense of community became insignificant to the outcome. University sense of community showed no relationship with regular contact with distal university peers.
Maintaining regular contact using current audio-visual technology can be seen as not only an indication of perceived available belonging support but also a means of continuing to give and receive other kinds of social support. Technological contact can be used to seek help, discuss problems (appraisal support), engage in reassurance and confidence building (self- esteem), as well as sharing in, or joining, an online activity with others. However, in general, use of technology to maintain contact may be perceived as a useful adjunct to, but not a substitute for, interactions in person.
161 5.3.7.2 5trengths and Limitations.
To the author’s knowledge, no other study has investigated how the characteristics of residences affect undergraduates’ achievement of tasks in the work, relationships, and self- domains of emerging adulthood. Additional strengths were the construction, reliability, and testing of the novel ISS with a sample of emerging adults under stress, that is, had left home and relocated for university education. Using undergraduates’ residences as entities, the ISS measured integrated support consisting of material comfort, ease of communication,
commonality of purpose, and interpersonal care across four types of residence. Rigorous statistical analysis found strong relationships between integrated support, perceived available belonging support, and sense of community. The study also used existing standardised validated measures and reported all nil effects found.
The cross-sectional survey design of this study would usually be considered a limitation and the sample consisted of non-randomly selected voluntary participants.
However, the design enabled this study to collect unusual data, namely, the frequency of contact students had with distal co-residents and university peers after returning home for Semester 1 during the 2020 pandemic. Thus, differences between types of residence and relationships between perceived available belonging support, sense of community, and contact with distal co-residents and university peers, could be found and explored.
Nevertheless, the study retains the limitation of being descriptive.
The numbers of participants in share houses (n = 27) and “villages” (n = 20) were less than advisable (≥ = 30). However, the finding that residents in share houses had a greater sense of community than did those in “villages”, as well as those in flats, can now be investigated further.
162 5.3.7.3 Conclusion.
This paper presents findings which add valuable evidence to the literature concerned with international and RRR undergraduates’ life-stage development and residences while at university. The paper describes an investigation of four types of residence, factors associated with residences and universities, and relationships between factors and students’ outcomes.
Integrated support, a novel measure of supportive characteristics in the environment of a residence, had large effect sizes on participants’ perceived available belonging support, sense of community in residences, and regular contact with distal co-residents. Furthermore,
increases in perceived available belonging support were associated with increases in academic success (GPA and intention to persist), psychological well-being, regular contact with distal co-residents, and influenced regular contact with distal university peers. Sense of community at university was also positively associated with psychological well-being. Interpersonal care was a unique, significant contributor to perceived available belonging support and, together with ease of vertical and lateral communication, also to sense of community in residences.
The study’s limitations do not detract from the findings which should be useful for student accommodation providers and advisors, counsellors, parents, guardians, and students. The study also provides a reliable measure of residence environments. Future researchers of perceived available belonging support and sense of community may consider use of the integrated support measure, with items appropriately modified, for entities other than student- residences.
163 Chapter 6. Discussion