UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MARA
VISUAL LANDSCAPE QUALITY OF PLANTING COMPOSITION
TOWARDS STUDENTS’ WELL- BEING
NORIZAN BINTI MT AKHIR
Thesis submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy (Design and Built Environment)
AUTHOR’S DECLARATION
I declare that the work in this thesis was carried out in accordance with the regulations of Universiti Teknologi MARA. It is original and is the results of my own work, unless otherwise indicated or acknowledged as referenced work. This thesis has not been submitted to any other academic institution or non-academic institution for any degree or qualification.
I, hereby, acknowledge that I have been supplied with the Academic Rules and Regulations for Post Graduate, Universiti Teknologi MARA, regulating the conduct of my study and research.
Name of Student : Norizan binti Mt Akhir Student I.D. No. : 2015804346
Programme : PhD of Design and Built Environment (Mixed Mode) – AP992
Faculty : Architecture, Planning and Surveying
Thesis Title : Visual Landscape Quality of Planting Composition towards Students’ Well-being
Signature of Student : ………..
Date : February 2022
ABSTRACT
Previous studies found the significance of planting composition to have a positive influence on visual landscape quality and wellbeing. Although many studies have evaluated planting composition aspects on public urban green spaces, only a few have investigated the effects in the university setting. In the literature, it is essential to evaluate campus landscapes since the relationship between people and campus environments is often intimate when individuals encounter the place they visit every day. However, campus design was primarily concerned with structures, with little emphasis being placed on landscapes. Campus landscape design has a significant impact on students. Students frequently select an institution based on their first impression of a campus. This study examines the perception of visual landscape quality of planting composition in relationship to student well-being. A photo-based questionnaire survey employing 51 landscape planting photos from Universiti Putra Malaysia was used to acquire quantitative data. Universiti Putra Malaysia is the first public university to participate in the UI GreenMatric World University Ranking, where it has been ranked at the top in Malaysia. The sample with 319 participants readily participate in this study and according to G*Power statistic calculation, the sample is sufficient for this study. In the survey questionnaire, students ranked 51 images from
‘strongly dislike’ to ‘strongly like’. The survey data were analysed by SPSS version23 and Smart PLS-SEM to interpret the findings. The results indicate that students prefer images with complexity arrangement, moderate density, and natural features of plants.
While compared with openness and mysterious characteristics which indicate disliked images. Information Processing theory is mainly referred to understand why people prefer such environments and how comfortable people are in one place. This research focuses on the development model of visual landscape quality that can serve to enlighten future landscape planting practices towards students’ well-being on campus.
In future planning and designing of campuses, these recommendations can help to enhance the visual quality and usability of campus landscapes. Finally, the limitations of this study were discussed and some recommendations for future landscape preference studies were provided.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
First and foremost, praise and thanks Allah SWT for blessing and showing me the right path to embark on my PhD. The strength for completing this long and challenging journey is to become a reality with His guidance and permission. Nothing can be accomplished without His consent.
My gratitude and thanks go to my main supervisor Dr. Siti Rasidah binti Md Sakip, co- supervisors Professor Dr. Mohamed Yusoff bin Abbas, and Associate Professor Dr.
Noriah binti Othman for their kind support and assistance. Their constant comments and coaching played an important role and encouragement to continue what I had started. Special thanks also go to my mentor Dr. Mohd Khairul Nizam, for his coaching and guidance in the management of my thesis.
My appreciation goes to the Universiti Teknologi MARA Cawangan Perak, which provided the facilities and services for my studies. My sincere thanks to my colleagues and friends for supporting me and providing a space to complete my thesis writing. My appreciation also goes to Universiti Putra Malaysia for kindly permitting collecting data.
For my beloved husband, Zamri bin Abd Hamid, thank you for always standing behind me, tolerating, understanding, and allowing me a space to finish this journey. To my three children, Nurul Amani, Abdul Malik, and Abdul Karim, mom loves you all. Thank you for being patient with me and being good children.
Finally, this thesis is dedicated to my lovely parents, Mt Akhir bin Jaafar and Khalijah binti Ishak, and my parents-in-law, Abdul Hamid bin Kadiran and Esah binti Suntong, for never stop praying for my success. Not to mention my siblings, who are always concerned and supportive of my work. Alhamdulilah.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
CONFIRMATION BY PANEL OF EXAMINERS ii
AUTHOR’S DECLARATION iii
ABSTRACT iv
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT v
TABLE OF CONTENTS vi
LIST OF TABLES xii
LIST OF FIGURES xiv
LIST OF SYMBOLS xvi
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS xvii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION OF THE RESEARCH 1
1.1 Introduction 1
1.2 Background of the Study 3
1.3 Problem Statement 5
1.4 Research Questions 7
1.5 Hypothesis 8
1.6 Research Objectives 9
1.7 Scope and Limitation of the Study 10
1.8 Significance of Study 10
