{"id":133,"date":"2016-12-02T15:55:04","date_gmt":"2016-12-02T23:55:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/eportfolios.capilanou.ca\/chelsieram\/?p=133"},"modified":"2017-11-03T14:19:46","modified_gmt":"2017-11-03T21:19:46","slug":"digital-research-portfolio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eportfolios.capilanou.ca\/chelsieram\/digital-research-portfolio\/","title":{"rendered":"Digital Research Portfolio"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chelsie Ram<\/span><\/p>\n

Aurelea Mahood<\/span><\/p>\n

LBST 200 \u2013 Refocusing Knowledge<\/span><\/p>\n

November 9th, 2016<\/span><\/p>\n

Research Folio Proposal and Literature Review<\/span><\/p>\n

The working title for my digital research paper is \u201cThe Role of Nature in regards to the Mental Well-being of Capilano Students.\u201d Our general pod topic is on the complexity of individual health on university campuses. Health is defined in physical, emotional and mental terms. My individual topic will focus on how the environment and physical landscape of Capilano can aid in student mental wellness. The following are five articles that will be used to support my topic.<\/span><\/p>\n

Learning from Nature: Biomimetic Design in Architectural Education<\/b><\/p>\n

Biomimicry is \u201cthe design and production of materials, structures, and systems that are modeled on biological entities and processes\u201d (Yurtkuran et al 633). \u00a0This paper describes an assignment done by first year architecture students. \u00a0The students were required to compile solutions to common human problems (e.g. depression, anxiety, etc.) \u00a0through observation and inserting of architectural pieces. \u201cEducational benefits include the introduction of students to alternative design methods and multidimensional thinking\u201d (Yurtkuran et al 634) regarding the relationship between architectural design and wellness. Observations were made of people’s mental state when put in different architectural settings. From these observations it was concluded that an \u201copen-concept\u201d structure with the incorporation of nature would be ideal in \u201cfostering creativity (and) may be a viable instrument in architecture schools, and possibly in other levels of education\u201d (Yurtkuran et al 639). Observations were made and connections and suggestions for future development were formed proving that a critical methodology was used. The main take away of this article is the strong correlation between natural architectural landscapes with one\u2019s mental well being. The upcoming article further expands on this topic by the application of natural landscapes within an educational setting and the observation of the effects on students mental health.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Symbiotic Relationship between Man, Nature, and Architecture<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cThe primary objective of this dissertation is to attain a design brief for an Environmental Education Centre which encourages a harmonious and symbiotic relationship between man and nature\u201d( Royal 7). \u00a0The education Centre would be located in South Africa. Focus of the study is on creating the ideal space for education. Studies have previously been conducted providing evidence supporting that a natural landscape is the ideal location for higher education. This article expands on that idea by providing an outline of what that ideal natural landscape would look like. \u00a0The article concludes that the education center created within a natural atmosphere improved students educational experience immensely. The methodology used was interpretive as this article relied heavily on the observation and analysis of existing texts, and utilized various opinions to form its own.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Silence of Mental Health Issues within University Environments: A Quantitative Study<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cA descriptive study was used to examine the attitudes and experiences of staff and students towards mental health problems\u201d (Wynaden et al 339). \u00a0After conducting numerous online surveys with 471 students and staff from around Australia it was concluded that the stigmas around mental health issues are still very prevalent on University campuses. Majority of surveyed students stated that personal mental wellbeing was not something they would feel comfortable speaking about to their peers (Wynaden et al 342-344). This article is of particular importance to my topic as it confirms the idea that students often times fight in silence rather than utilizing the resources available to them. The methodology used in this article is critical. Much like the interpretive methodology this study uses surveys and interviews as their means of collecting data but \u00a0goes a step further by critically analyzing the collected data and making connections and assumptions about the future; making its methodological approach a critical one. This connects to the next article which discusses the cognitive benefits of a natural environment. By identifying the mental health benefits of nature and allowing Universities to have on campus green spaces, it could decrease the amount of mental illness on campus, potentially minimizing the number of students suffering in silence. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The benefits of nature experience: Improved affect and cognition<\/b><\/p>\n

This study followed 60 participants who were randomly assigned to go for a walk in either a natural or urban environment in Stanford University in California. The main goal was to \u201c investigate the impact of nature experience on affect and cognition\u201d (Bratman et al 41). A number of psychological assessments were done which show that \u201ccompared to the urban walk, the nature walk resulted in affective benefits (decreased anxiety, rumination, and negative affect, and preservation of positive affect) as well as cognitive benefits (increased working memory performance)\u201d (Bratman et al 50). The methodological approach used is scientific as experiments were done and conclusions are based on scientific evidence. This article is relevant to my topic as it confirms the idea that nature has a positive psychological effect on the mind. This article focuses on the impact of nature on cognition which is a topic that the next article develops further.<\/span><\/p>\n

The mental and physical health outcomes of green exercise<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cBoth physical activity and exposure to nature are known separately to have positive effects on physical and mental health\u201d (Pretty et al 319) but this experient hoped to discover if positive effects would be amplified if nature and physical activity interacted. This article follows a study in which physical activity and differing landscapes were combined to find the ideal exercise location for improved mental and physical health benefits.\u201cFive groups of 20 subjects were exposed to a sequence of 30 scenes projected on a wall whilst exercising on a treadmill\u201d (Pretty et al 337). Scenes were divided into four categories: rural pleasant, rural unpleasant, urban pleasant, and urban unpleasant. There was also a control exercising with no projected images. After numerous studies were conducted it was concluded that exercise within rural pleasant settings provided the most positive effects on self-esteem and mood and a significantly reduced amount of blood pressure. The methodological approach used in this article was scientific as experiments were conducted and conclusions were formed based on the resulting evidence.<\/span><\/p>\n

The key findings through the five research articles is that mental health is a growing worry among University students, architectural surroundings impact mental wellness, and a more natural landscape promotes a good mental state.<\/span><\/p>\n

I conducted interviews with four Simon Fraser University students who had previously attended Capilano University. \u00a0Each interview lasted about 20 minutes long and focused on the role their academic environment played regarding their mental wellbeing. Three main concepts were discussed and can be extracted from all four interviews: 1. The natural environment at Capilano provides a place to \u201cmentally recharge\u201d, 2.SFU\u2019s cement walls create a jail like atmosphere, and 3. Nature is a key element in wellbeing.<\/span><\/p>\n

In my first interview the student mentioned that Capilano University’s natural landscape provides a place to \u201cmentally recharge\u201d. To \u201cmentally recharge\u201d, as defined by the student, is to have a clear mind that is prepared to handle a grueling amount of educational stressors. I found this term to be very useful, so within my next three interviews I asked the students if they felt that the natural landscape of Capilano aided in the \u201cmental recharging\u201d of their mind as well. In each interview the student vehemently agreed that Capilanos environment provided a \u201cmental recharge\u201d and that being surrounded by the natural environment allowed for an easy way to relieve stress.<\/span><\/p>\n

After conducting four interviews with current SFU students I noticed a disturbing trend. Each student noted that their mental well being decreased significantly when they transferred from Capilano to SFU. When probed further each student mentioned the dungeness qualities of SFU and how \u2018dark\u2019 they found the school atmosphere. Even though SFU is a big school, it has an architecturally closed concept which the students classify as \u2018depressing\u2019, \u2018cold\u2019, and \u2018mentally exhausting\u2019. I found this to be of high interest as SFU is a school with a fairly big student body and it is of great concern that the environment negatively affects a broad portion of the student population.<\/span><\/p>\n

The overall theme brought forward in each interview is that nature is a key element in a person\u2019s well being. Each student agreed that a natural environment is a healthy place to be whether it be regarding physical, mental, or social wellness. When asked which environment they feel they performed best in, each student chose Capilano over SFU. All four attributed a portion of their success at Capilano to its natural surroundings.<\/span><\/p>\n

My individual topic concentrates on how the environment and physical landscape of Capilano can aid in student mental wellness. This topic connects to our general pod topic which is on the complexity of individual health on university campuses by focusing on how health can be improved by the application of nature. Through the analysation of various scholarly articles and the conduction of interviews there seems to be a recurring trend connecting a natural environment to positive mental health. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Works Cited<\/span><\/p>\n

Bratman, Gregory N., Gretchen C. Daily, Benjamin J. Levy, and James J. Gross. “The Benefits of <\/span>Nature Experience: Improved Affect and Cognition.” <\/span>Landscape and Urban Planning<\/span><\/i> 138 <\/span>(2015): 41-50. Web.<\/span><\/p>\n

Pretty, Jules, Jo Peacock, Martin Sellens, and Murray Griffin. “The Mental and Physical Health <\/span>Outcomes of Green Exercise.” <\/span>International Journal of Environmental Health Research<\/span><\/i> 15.5 <\/span>(2006): 319-37. Web.<\/span><\/p>\n

Royal, Kimberly. <\/span>The Symbiotic Relationship between Man, Nature, and Architecture toward S the <\/span><\/i>Design of an Environmental Education Centre<\/span><\/i>. Diss. U of KwaZulu-Natal, 2010. N.p.: n.p., <\/span>n.d. 7-23. Print.<\/span><\/p>\n

Wynaden, Dianne, Margaret Mcallister, Jenny Tohotoa, Omar Al Omari, Karen Heslop, Ravani <\/span>Duggan, Sean Murray, Brenda Happell, and Louise Byrne. “The Silence of Mental Health <\/span>Issues Within University Environments: A Quantitative Study.” <\/span>Archives of Psychiatric <\/span><\/i>Nursing<\/span><\/i> 28.5 (2014): 339-44. Web.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yurtkuran, Selay, G\u00f6zde K\u0131rl\u0131, and Yavuz Taneli. “Learning from Nature: Biomimetic Design in <\/span>Architectural Education.” <\/span>Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences<\/span><\/i> 89 (2013): 633-39. Web.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chelsie Ram Aurelea Mahood LBST 200 \u2013 Refocusing Knowledge November 9th, 2016 Research Folio Proposal and Literature Review The working title for my digital research paper is \u201cThe Role of Nature in regards to the Mental Well-being of Capilano Students.\u201d Our general pod topic is on the complexity of individual health on university campuses. Health […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":58,"featured_media":182,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-133","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eportfolios.capilanou.ca\/chelsieram\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eportfolios.capilanou.ca\/chelsieram\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eportfolios.capilanou.ca\/chelsieram\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eportfolios.capilanou.ca\/chelsieram\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/58"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eportfolios.capilanou.ca\/chelsieram\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=133"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/eportfolios.capilanou.ca\/chelsieram\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":134,"href":"https:\/\/eportfolios.capilanou.ca\/chelsieram\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133\/revisions\/134"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eportfolios.capilanou.ca\/chelsieram\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/182"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eportfolios.capilanou.ca\/chelsieram\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=133"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eportfolios.capilanou.ca\/chelsieram\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=133"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eportfolios.capilanou.ca\/chelsieram\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=133"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}