Codification of the Principles and Basics of Designing Higher Educational Spaces with an Emphasis on the Cultural and Social Factors

Abstract

Artificial space and environment play important roles in the formation of identity, intellectual and cultural structure and the lifestyle of the individuals and can influence the creation, intensification and/or reduction of their psychological and social problems. The present study has been prepared and produced with the objective of attaining solutions to the facilitation of identification process and reduction of intellectual, social and cultural stresses of the university students in academic educational space(s). The study is originally drawn on a field research. The research has been conducted herein on five selected state universities in Tehran based on a mixed survey method and the data have been collected using interviews and questionnaires. The findings of the interviews with the university professors, officials and cultural experts of the ministry of sciences, research and technology have been obtained based on snowball Delphi method and the findings of the questionnaires and interviews for performing students’ need assessment have been obtained based on cluster sampling method and this section’s findings have been analyzed using SPSS software. To analyze the current social-spatial status of the studied universities, as well, interviews were made with the academic cultural activists. The study results are indicative of the idea that two scales, namely creation of a sense of attachment and sociability, are of a greater importance as viewed by the academic experts, in contrast to the other factors. The university students, as well, were found believing that the cultural and social as well as the contextual spaces existent in the universities do not respond to their needs and such problems as shortage of sufficient space, facilities and appropriate equipment, inflexibility, inadequate lighting in these spaces were pointed out. In the end, suggestions will be presented in a classified manner based on the study findings.

Keywords

• higher educational spaces
• identity
• security
• sense of attachment
• sociability