Thesis
Exploring healing spaces : virtual reality simulation of meditation environments and their impact on university students’ well-being in Thailand
- Creator
- Rights statement
- Awarding institution
- University of Strathclyde
- Date of award
- 2026
- Thesis identifier
- T17627
- Person Identifier (Local)
- 201960163
- Qualification Level
- Qualification Name
- Department, School or Faculty
- Abstract
- This dissertation probes how meditation environments—conceived as healing spaces where physical, perceptual and symbolic dimensions intersect—shape the well-being of university students in Thailand. Against a backdrop of mounting mental-health challenges, spurred by pressure, social transition and the lingering after effects of the post-pandemic period meditation has emerged as a valuable means of emotional regulation. Although the salutary effects of meditation are well documented the role of design, in modulating meditative outcomes remains under-explored. This project aims to bridge that gap by probing how the geometry of spaces their sensory textures and the cultural narratives they carry together sculpt the meditation experience and sway perceived well-being. A mixed-methods approach was employed to compare four meditation environments — a classroom, a campus garden, a purpose-designed meditation room and a neutral white room. Each setting was rendered in reality (VR) to preserve consistency maintain experimental control and uphold ecological validity while still letting participants experience spaces that felt both familiar and directly comparable. Over a span of four months fifty-three Thai undergraduate participants completed guided meditation sessions, in each environment. Data were gathered through post-session questionnaires, online meditation diaries and semi-structured interviews. The quantitative dataset was subjected to repeated-measures ANOVA and a suite of correlation models while the qualitative narratives were parsed via thematic analysis aiming to capture the nuances of subjective experience and the meanings participants ascribed. The data showed statistically significant differences among the settings (p < 0.05). The calming, focus-enhancing and emotionally stabilising spaces turned out to be natural environments and those deliberately crafted for meditation while the typical classroom performed the worst. Participants linked their sense of tranquility to elements such as light, an open-plan layout, harmonious acoustics and culturally resonant symbols of calm and respect. In short the results suggest that meditation spaces are far, from backdrops—they actively shape psychological and emotional outcomes. This research expands the terrain of psychology, mindfulness inquiry and architectural design by teasing apart how a space’s sensory texture and symbolic meaning together sculpt a restorative experience. Methodologically it shows that virtual reality can function not merely as a lab instrument but as an immersive prototype for shaping healing environments. Culturally it brings Thai-Buddhist principles—simplicity, balance and a deep connection, to nature—to the surface as mediators of perceived calmness and focused attention. The findings indicate that virtual reality can broaden access to restorative experiences and provide evidence-based design recommendations, for blending virtual and physical healing spaces into university well-being initiatives.
- Advisor / supervisor
- Romice, Ombretta Rossella Linda
- Salama, Ashraf M. A.
- Howieson, Stirling
- Resource Type
- DOI
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PDF of thesis T17627 | 2026-04-15 | Public | Download |