Author: Basim Surkhi*
The study aimed at identifying the impact of external university housing on social adjustment among the students of Al-Quds University. The study approached the literature as a multi-dimensional phenomenon which addressed both theoretical and applied research. The significance of this recent study is the first which dealt with this theme in the Palestinian society in general and its universities in particular.
A 139-item questionnaire was formulated which was divided into five sub-scales as follows: the general information of the participants, the second section dealt with the social adjustment (50 items), the third section included the reality of the university housing (44 items), the fourth section discussed the pros and cons of university housing (31) items, while the fifth section included the obstacles faced when applying for university housing (14) items. The random stratified method was utilized which comprised a sample size of 354 male and female respondents. The collected data was statistically processed using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS).
The results revealed that the level of social adjustment among Al-Quds University students for external housing was moderate (M 3.04 SD 0.29). Adjustment with the surroundings and the environment at large was considered foremost (M 3.20 SD 0.57) despite the students feeling alienated (M 3.07 SD 0.52). The students indicated that there were certain pros and cons of university housing, mean scores and standard deviation were (M 3.42 SD 0.54; M 3.23 SD 0.61) respectively, taking into account that the facility is not under the supervision of the university. Furthermore, the results also revealed that there are numerous obstacles (M 3.59 SD 0.63) when applying for housing at the university the most important being the weakness of the infrastructure as well as the lack of internal university housing.
Moreover, the study investigated demographic breakdown of social adjustment among the students housed externally at Al-Quds University with the aim of identifying differences. Findings show that gender and the locality of housing are significant variables. However, the rest of the study variables do not indicate any significant difference. Besides, the findings revealed a significant correlation between the GPA; time spent in the housing; number of students who occupied the residences and the degree of social adjustment.
In the light of the study and discussions, the following is recommended: the necessity establish university housing under the supervision of the university; accommodate the demand by introducing students to the benefits of the university housing and consider the norms and traditions of the people in the surrounding area in addition to the need to work on the exploitation of their time in the university.
Keywords: External housing, social adjustment, Al-Quds University, Palestine.
*MA Sustainable Rural Development, Institute of Sustainable Development, Faculty of Arts, Al-Quds University, Main Campus, Jerusalem- Abu Dies, Palestine. Security officer, Security Unit, Al-Quds University, Main Campus, Jerusalem- Abu Dies, Palestine. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
