University outdoor spatial layout effect on perception of students' interaction and group seclusion

A student grouping is affected by the space boundaries that it occupies in educational settings. Enclosure of space affects in-group interactions and seclusion. The hypothesis of the present study is that students' social interaction within the group is affected by increasing spatial enclosure, and seclusion is affected by exposure to increasing pedestrian flow in outdoor spaces on university campuses. The reported study included visual manipulations of two natural zones in an open courtyard at the Jordan University of Science and Technology Campus in the city of Irbid, Jordan. Analysis of the variance showed that perception of seclusion decreased when pedestrian flow took place and increased when spatial enclosure occurred, whereas perception of interaction increased with increasing pedestrian flow compared to that of spatial enclosure occurrence. Vitality was affected by the location of the individual subjects. Implications suggest that a closer took at public outdoor spatial layouts should take place in terms of locating functions that affect pedestrian flow such as kiosks and enclosure formation in settings where healthy social interactions and friendship formation are of concern, such as in educational institutions.