A post-occupancy evaluation of students' halls of residence in Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria

Abstract

PurposeStudents are the hub of activities in an academic environment, and their satisfaction with the performance of educational facilities cannot be overemphasised. Therefore, this study evaluated the post-occupation of students' halls of residence in Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Nigeria with a view to enhancing effective management of educational facilities.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 245 students who were selected using simple random sampling technique. The study adopted descriptive statistical tools such as mean, standard deviation and Relative Importance Index (RII); the inferential statistical tools adopted were independent-samples t-test and Kendall Tau's correlation.FindingsThe results revealed that both genders were fairly satisfied with physical attributes, indoor environmental quality (IEQ) and social factors; while the female students were also fairly satisfied with the supporting service, the male students were fairly dissatisfied. Also, supporting services and IEQ influenced the levels of satisfaction of both genders.Practical implicationsThis study provides information which can help the management of the University and other comparative educational institutions in the proper management of students' halls of residence.Originality/valueThis study has provided insight into the satisfaction of student occupants with halls of residence based on gender differentiation.