Journal of Geographical Studies of Mountainous Areas

Journal of Geographical Studies of Mountainous Areas

Factors Affecting the Sense of Place among the Rural Youth of Khorramabad Township

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Mohammad Javad Khosravi Shakib 1
Saeed Gholamrezai 2
Mehdi Rahimian 2
1 MSc. student. Department of Agriculture Economics and Rural Development, Faculty of Agriculture, Lorestan University, Khorramabad, Iran
2 Associate Prof. Department of Agriculture Economics and Rural Development, Faculty of Agriculture, Lorestan University, Khorramabad, Iran
10.22034/gsma.2024.719297
Abstract
Introduction

The sense of place explains a kind of relationship between a person and a place and it means a deep emotional connection between a person and a place. The sense of place in rural society, especially rural youth, has a special place; because this group is the driving force and innovators of their society, and having a sense of belonging to a place may be effective in their sustainability. In the meantime, considering the problem of the increasing trend of rural youth migration, the presence of a sense of place, which includes commitment, dependence and attachment, as well as satisfaction with the place of living, can be effective in the permanence and management of youth migration. Therefore, identifying factors affecting the sense of place can be effective in explaining this important issue. The purpose of this research is to investigate the factors affecting the sense of place among the rural youth of Khorramabad, Lorestan The purpose of this research is to investigate the factors affecting the sense of place among the rural youth of Khorramabad township in Lorestan province, west of Iran.
 
 
 
 

Methodology

This applied research, in terms of the possibility of controlling the variables, is of the field research, in terms of the method of data collection, it is of the descriptive research. Also, considering that the main purpose of this research is to investigate the factors affecting the sense of place among the rural youth of Khorramabad township, the current research is in the category of survey-correlation research and the statistical population in this research is all the rural youth of Khorramabad township, Lorestan (N = 20066). The number of samples was estimated to be 377 people based on Kerjci and Morgan table. A multi-stage sampling was used and the data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire. SPSS software was also used for data analysis.
 

Results

The results showed that the sense of place among the respondents was average level (3.59). The analytical results of the linear regression equation showed that the variables "view of others towards the hometown", "interest in the texture and architecture of the hometown", "the amount of memories of the person from the hometown", "the amount of belonging to the people living in the hometown" and "the amount of participation in Local group activities" were able to explain 34.8% of the changes in the variance of the dependent variable. There is a positive and significant relationship between the views of others towards the hometown and the youth's sense of place, and it has also been able to affect the dependent variable. The results show that being interested in the texture and architecture of the hometown has a positive effect on the young people's sense of place. There is a significant relationship between a person's participation in local group activities and sense of place, and participation has a positive and significant effect on sense of place. There is a significant relationship between young people's memories of their hometown and sense of place, and this variable has an effect on young people's sense of place.
 

Discussion

Considering the general state of the audience's sense of place, it seems that due to the social, welfare and economic gap between urban and rural society, this group does not have a good sense of place. The existence of the relationship and the effect of the variables of interest in the architectural texture with the sense of place may be caused by the feeling of satisfaction of the second category in Abraham Maslow's chain of needs.
 

Conclusion

The sense of place is a multi-dimensional phenomenon that is affected by psychological characteristics such as the attitude, value and mental norms of a person. In fact, the attitude of each person, to be of the same color with others and to be in harmony with them, makes a person create a positive or negative feeling towards the place (hometown). Having a sense of belonging to any phenomenon can be effective in a person's attitude and belief. In fact, a person is related to a phenomenon that probably received positive feedback from that phenomenon and will be emotionally dependent on it. This emotional feeling may be caused by family affiliation, membership and interaction with peers, the existence of supportive and supportive factors, especially in critical situations. Also, considering that a major part of human time and the provision of physiological needs and human security depends on the type, quality and design of the building as a place to live, therefore, the satisfaction of young people with the texture and architecture of the place of residence may be effective in their interest. This issue can be raised at the level of the body and rural architecture from a quantitative and qualitative perspective. Since human participation in any phenomenon can increase his attachment and attachment to that phenomenon, so maybe this positive relationship is due to the fact that young people, by participating more in local group activities, naturally consider themselves members and know a part of that place and become attached to it. It is also possible for a person to find his identity from that place by participating more in local activities. Therefore, creating areas for youth participation through NGOs and student associations can also be effective in enhancing the sense of place.
Keywords
Sense of place
four dimensions of Sense of Place
Rural Youth
Staying
Khorramabad township
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Journal of Geographical Studies of Mountainous Areas
Volume 5, Issue 3 - Serial Number 19
Autumn
Autumn 2024
Pages 195-214