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Researcher(s):
Rebecca Kidder
ENVS course(s): 400 Initiated: September 2015 Completed: May 2016 Go to project site
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Framing Questions: Do people’s surroundings matter? And why do some people transition better than others?
Focus Question: Is there a relationship between Lewis & Clark students’ experiences transitioning to college and their familiarity with their surrounding environment?
Though the implications of having a strong sense of place are complicated, many studies have focused on its resulting social and personal benefits. However, it has rarely been studied in conjunction with awareness of physical environment among college students. Current students at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon were surveyed about their sense of place and experience transitioning as a new student at the school. Students currently in their first year at the school reported feeling more uncomfortable than returning students remembered feeling during their first year. While students indicated that their transitions were most influenced by social, financial, and academic factors, a statistically significant correlation was found among new students between their level of discomfort and the differences in biophysical environment between their home and Portland. Thus, physical environment is an additional factor that seems to influence how some students experience these transitions. Additionally, internal factors such as race and gender, found to be important in studies surrounding other types of transitions, were not statistically significant in this study. Better understanding the factors that affect the development of sense of place can help schools, societies, and individuals alike adapt to changing environments, and can help us better understand our own communities.