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This article is Part 1 of a two-part series focused on Campus Environments and Student Behavior” – be sure to check back soon for Part 2!
At a recent conference, I was inspired by conversations surrounding the importance of student development professionals being involved in campus master planning. Academic buildings, dining halls, recreation spaces, athletic complexes, and certainly residence halls are all places and spaces on college campuses that need input from student development staff to be optimized for student flourishing. To be candid, stories I’ve heard from colleagues indicate this input is sorely lacking for many campuses. Without student development professionals being involved, a key consideration may be lost in the fray when considering the entire learning environment: student behavior. I’ve often pondered as to whether student behavior can correlate to their personal lived experiences within our campus environments.
Campus master planning is one facet of what it means to cultivate campus environments. Beyond physical brick and mortar buildings, there is also the work of developing social spaces, enjoyable programs, and fun activities. In harmony with our community covenants or conduct codes, the environments we shape help students achieve their goals and understand a vision of community living and learning that they can carry with them after graduation. Given that many Christian institutions of higher education seek to educate the whole person: mind, body, and spirit, it would behoove student development professionals in these contexts to consider how the physical and socialcampus environment influences students, and especially their behavior.
Fulfilling our institutional missions is the result of in- and out-of-class learning in which students begin to understand more about themselves, about creation, and about the vocations and callings God has for them. Yet, we can acknowledge this process of learning is beautifully complex and messy, as are the students that enroll on our campuses.
Perhaps increasing our awareness of how a campus environment impacts behavior can help us as student development professionals advocate for space at the table during campus master planning. Maybe we can become far more intentional in developing spaces and experiences that promote a shared image of faithful and healthy living that students participate in and don’t just hear about at orientation. Perhaps we can be more proactive in our efforts to design programs and resources that are Christ-animated and help every member of the community see the actual beliefs and values of our institution in action. Do we have a campus environment that students want to live and learn in? And how does that environment affect student behaviors?
Environment Influencing Behavior
Kurt Lewin, sometimes referred to as the founder of social sociology, established his Field Theory in 1936 that posited a simple yet profound concept: behavior (B) is a function (f) of both the person (P) and their (E) environment – B = f (P, E) (Bateman, 2022).
Without overcomplicating the concept, the basic idea acknowledges the uniqueness of individuals and their personal backgrounds, skills, desires, cultures, etc., and how they interplay with the environment and context they are in, thus influencing resultant behaviors. While not perfect, and while other student development theories are useful as well, Lewin’s idea gives a simple framework from which student development professionals can ask fundamental questions regarding our role in not just addressing, but proactively guiding student behavior. (As an aside: Dr. Nick Pacurari recently published a recent ACSD Ideas article that I think offers some great thoughts for grasping the person (P) side of this equation, and how reframing such considerations ought to influence our conduct processes.)
However, if we focus on the “environment” aspect of Lewin’s equation, we must consider how our campus culture, buildings and spaces, programs, and other physical or social dynamics affect student behavior. Here are some more granular examples along this line of questioning:
- Residence Halls. Are residence halls just a place to sleep each night, or can residence life staff be intentional in helping students learn independent living and experience healthy relationships? Do our students want to live on campus? How are these physical spaces developing students?
- Dining. Do campus dining facilities feel welcoming and offer both enjoyable and nutritionally responsible food? Do students learn about lifelong physical wellness through their dining experiences? Do your students yearn to go off campus for meals and miss out on the student development that occurs around a dinner table?
- Social Spaces. Are there enough social spaces and places on campus, and enough student development staff support to offer engaging activities? Do students want to spend their weekends on campus or are they “pushed” off campus to find fun (and sometimes trouble)?
These are just a few examples. If we zoom out, we could ask: what are the ways your campus environment shapes the educational experience, which in turn influences student behaviors?
References
- Bateman, T.S. (2022, October 26). A Heuristic Equation to Explain Behavior, Performance, and Solutions. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/getting-proactive/202210/a-heuristic-equation-to-explain-behavior-performance-and-solutions
