A Hit or Miss - Can residential hall experience impact university students' development?

Residential halls are an important component of college education, and the benefits for holistic personal development have been documented by previous research. The majority of studies, however, have focused on Western universities. The current research therefore assessed the academic, social and independent development of students attending universities in Hong Kong. A total of 1904 students completed a self-report questionnaire measuring various aspects of their development. The students living in residential halls scored significantly higher than those not living in halls on five aspects of development—peer group interactions and communication skills, self-efficacy, problem-solving skills, self-control and open-mindedness—but not on other aspects such as academic development. The results imply that improvements to students' residential hall experiences are needed to facilitate their personal development.