The relationship between students' perceptions of the University of Pretoria's on-campus green spaces and attention restoration

Previous research has suggested that natural green areas provide several psychological benefits to individuals. One such benefit is the restoration of attention capacities, an advantage that is of particular importance to university students. The present study, therefore, aimed to determine where st...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Human geographies 2017-11, Vol.11 (2), p.155-167
Main Authors: Liprini, Ruth M, Coetzee, Nicoleen
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
attention restoration
Green spaces
perceived restorativeness
psychological well: being
students
university campus
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Previous research has suggested that natural green areas provide several psychological benefits to individuals. One such benefit is the restoration of attention capacities, an advantage that is of particular importance to university students. The present study, therefore, aimed to determine where students spend their free time on campus at the University of Pretoria, South Africa, how they perceive their on-campus green spaces and the extent to which they found these spaces restorative. Participants responded to a three-part questionnaire, investigating demographic characteristics, green space usage, and the Perceived Restorativeness Scale (PRS). Statistical analyses were conducted to determine which of the green spaces contributed most significantly to overall PRS scores. All green areas made significant contributions, but the campus’s botanical garden was the greatest contributor to PRS. The findings of this study serve to encourage tertiary institutions to protect their green spaces, as the psychological well-being and attention restoration of students are affected by it.
ISSN:1843-6587
2067-2284
DOI:10.5719/hgeo.2017.112.2