Place Attachment in EKU Undergraduate Students

Presenter Hometown

Owensboro, Kentucky; Hyden, Kentucky; Middlesboro, Kentucky; Berea, Kentucky

Major

Honors

Department

Anthropology, Sociology, and Social Work

Degree

Undergraduate

Mentor

Michael J. Bradley; James N. Maples

Mentor Department

Recreation and Park Administration

Abstract

Place attachment is defined as an emotional bond between a person and a place formed from experiences and emotions felt in the place. Attachment to place can be either positive or negative, as unhappy experiences can lead to place eversion and positive experiences strengthen attachment (Manzo, 2005). For university and colleges, place attachment to the school and campus itself are essential for improving retention and admission rates. At Eastern Kentucky University, while survey results do not show strong place attachment, certain elements show that students do experience a positive attachment toward EKU, created through a strong campus community, organizations, and collective school spirit. EKU administration may strengthen students’ attachment through further developing existing programs, as the programs in place show some level of success, but there is still room for improvement. To gain a better understanding of how to improve the level of place attachment more information is needed to see where students believe programs are lacking and improvements are needed to foster student attachment to the university.

Presentation format

Poster

Poster Number

033

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Place Attachment in EKU Undergraduate Students

Place attachment is defined as an emotional bond between a person and a place formed from experiences and emotions felt in the place. Attachment to place can be either positive or negative, as unhappy experiences can lead to place eversion and positive experiences strengthen attachment (Manzo, 2005). For university and colleges, place attachment to the school and campus itself are essential for improving retention and admission rates. At Eastern Kentucky University, while survey results do not show strong place attachment, certain elements show that students do experience a positive attachment toward EKU, created through a strong campus community, organizations, and collective school spirit. EKU administration may strengthen students’ attachment through further developing existing programs, as the programs in place show some level of success, but there is still room for improvement. To gain a better understanding of how to improve the level of place attachment more information is needed to see where students believe programs are lacking and improvements are needed to foster student attachment to the university.