Volume 24, Issue 3 (6-2025)                   JRUMS 2025, 24(3): 228-240 | Back to browse issues page

Ethics code: IR.ZUMS.REC.1403.136

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Azimi Pirsaraei S R, Kalantari R, Shabani N, Abidi A R, Fooladi P. Comparison of Personal Space Dimensions in Native and Non-Native Students in the Faculty of Public Health of Zanjan University of Medical Sciences in 2024: A Descriptive Study. JRUMS 2025; 24 (3) :228-240
URL: http://journal.rums.ac.ir/article-1-7644-en.html
Comparison of Personal Space Dimensions in Native and Non-Native Students in the Faculty of Public Health of Zanjan University of Medical Sciences in 2024: A Descriptive Study
Seyed Reza Azimi Pirsaraei , Reza Kalantari , Nilofar Shabani , Amir Reza Abidi , Parsa Fooladi
Zanjan University of Medical Sciences
Abstract:   (144 Views)

Background and Objectives: Personal space is a distance in which a person feels comfortable alongside another person. Measuring personal space in educational environments in native and non-native students is important, because it can affect their learning process. The aim of this study was to compare the personal space size in native and non-native students in the faculty of public health of Zanjan University of Medical Sciences.
Materials and Methods: This descriptive study was conducted on 224 students during autumn 2024. The data collection tools were a demographic questionnaire and the stop-distance standard method, in which the students and confederate approached together from the eight main orientations, and the stop distance which was measured by a tape measure, determined the students’ personal space. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and independent t-test.
Results: The number of 97 students (43.3%) were native and 127 (56.7%) were non-native. In all dimensions of personal space and active and passive assessments, the non-native students had a larger average personal space compared to the native students. There was a significant difference in personal space between the native and non-native students in the passive assessments in the west direction with a same-gender confederate (p=0.043) and in the southwest direction with an opposite-gender confederate (p=0.039)
Conclusion: Given the importance of personal space in educational environments and its impact on student learning, it is essential to design these environments in a way that respects the personal boundaries of all students. The use of personal space data could be useful to achieve the mentioned goal. It is recommended that further research be conducted considering other determinant variables.
Keywords: Personal space, Anthropometric dimensions, Students, Native, Non-native

Funding: This study was financially supported by Zanjan University of Medical Sciences.
Conflict of interest: None declared.
Ethical considerations: The Ethics Committee of Zanjan University of Medical Sciences approved the study (IR.ZUMS.REC.1403.136).
Authors’ contributions:
- Conceptualization: Reza Kalantari, Seyed Reza Azimi Pirsaraei
- Methodology: Reza Kalantari
- Data collection: Reza Kalantari, Nilofar Shabani Arbosara, Amirreza Abidi, Parsa Fooladi
- Formal analysis: Reza Kalantari, Amirreza Abidi
- Supervision: Seyed Reza Azimi Pirsaraei
- Project administration: Reza Kalantari
- Writing – original draft: Reza Kalantari, Nilofar Shabani Arbosara, Parsa Fooladi
- Writing – review & editing: Reza Kalantari, Seyed Reza Azimi Pirsaraei, Nilofar Shabani Arbosara, Amirreza Abidi, Parsa Fooladi
 

Keywords: Personal space, Anthropometric dimensions, Students, Native, Non-native
Full-Text [PDF 396 kb]   (58 Downloads) |   |   Full-Text (HTML)  (59 Views)  
Type of Study: Research | Subject: Environmental Health
Received: 2025/01/27 | Accepted: 2025/04/30 | Published: 2025/06/20
References
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12. Sakuma N, Ikeda K. Effects of modulated emotion and facial masking encounter on personal distance. Percept Mot Skills 2021; 128(1): 178-90.
13. Beaulieu C. Intercultural study of personal space: A case study. J Appl Soc Psychol 2004; 34(4): 794-805.
14. Wang L, Fan H, Chu J, Chen D, Yu S. Effect of personal space invasion on passenger comfort and comfort design of an aircraft cabin. Math Probl Eng 2021; 2021(1): 9968548.
15. KESER AE, Küçük EB. Personal Space and Its Effects on Turkish EFL Learners. 2021.
16. Esmaeili A, Shahcheraghi A, Habib F. Analysis of the impact of the flexible internal architecture on the students’ personal space at schools. Journal of Educational Innovations 2019; 18(2): 147-61.
17. Lazarević EV, Keković Z, Antonić B. In search of the principles of resilient urban design: Implementability of the principles in the case of the cities in Serbia. Energy Build 2018; 158: 1130-8.
18. Taban M, Hayati Z, Hamed N. Exploring the Effect of Situation and Place on Change in Personal Space Border (Case Study: Dezful Traditional Bazaar). The Journal of Social Studies and Research in Iran 2018; 7(3): 469-95. [Farsi]
19. Azemati H, Pourbagher S, Mohammadi M. Main factors affecting personal spaces’ desirability in the educational environments (case study: faculty of architecture and urban design). Journal of Environmental Science and Technology 2018; 19(475): 209-19.
20. Oniszczenko W, Stanisławiak E. Association between sex and body mass index as mediated by temperament in a nonclinical adult sample. Eat Weight Disord 2019; 24: 291-8.
21. Kaitz M, Bar-Haim Y, Lehrer M, Grossman E. Adult attachment style and interpersonal distance. Attach Hum Dev 2004; 6(3): 285-304.
22. Nishihara R, Okubo M. A study on personal space in virtual space based on personality. Procedia Manuf 2015; 3: 2183-90.
23. Welsch R, von Castell C, Hecht H. The anisotropy of personal space. PloS One 2019; 14(6): e0217587.
24. Akande A. Determinants of personal space among South African students. The Journal of Psychology 1997; 131(5): 569-71.
25.  
26. فضای شخصی، ابعاد آنتروپومتریک، دانشجویان، بومی، غیربومی
27. Felipe NJ, Sommer R. Invasions of personal space. People and Buildings: Routledge; 2017; p: 54-64.
28. Graziano M. The spaces between us: a story of neuroscience, evolution, and human nature. 1st ed: Oxford University Press; 2017; p: 19.
29. Pheasant S, Haslegrave CM. Bodyspace: Anthropometry, ergonomics and the design of work. 3rd ed. Boca Raton: CRC press; 2018; p: 100.
30. Sommer R. Personal space; the behavioral basis of design. the University of Wisconsin - Madison: Prentice-Hall, Ohio State University Press; 1969. P: 57.
31. Uzzell D, Horne N. The influence of biological sex, sexuality and gender role on interpersonal distance. Br J Soc Psychol 2006; 45(3): 579-97.
32. Kennedy DP, Adolphs R. Violations of personal space by individuals with autism spectrum disorder. PloS one 2014; 9(8): e103369.
33. Holt DJ, Boeke EA, Coombs III G, DeCross SN, Cassidy BS, Stufflebeam S, et al. Abnormalities in personal space and parietal–frontal function in schizophrenia. Neuroimage Clin 2015; 9: 233-43.
34. Hayduk LA. Personal space: Where we now stand. Psychol Bull 1983; 94(2): 293.
35. Holt DJ, Zapetis SL, Babadi B, Zimmerman J, Tootell RB. Personal space increases during the COVID-19 pandemic in response to real and virtual humans. Front Psychol 2022; 13: 952998.
36. Sakuma N, Ikeda K. Effects of modulated emotion and facial masking encounter on personal distance. Percept Mot Skills 2021; 128(1): 178-90.
37. Beaulieu C. Intercultural study of personal space: A case study. J Appl Soc Psychol 2004; 34(4): 794-805.
38. Wang L, Fan H, Chu J, Chen D, Yu S. Effect of personal space invasion on passenger comfort and comfort design of an aircraft cabin. Math Probl Eng 2021; 2021(1): 9968548.
39. KESER AE, Küçük EB. Personal Space and Its Effects on Turkish EFL Learners. 2021.
40. Esmaeili A, Shahcheraghi A, Habib F. Analysis of the impact of the flexible internal architecture on the students’ personal space at schools. Journal of Educational Innovations 2019; 18(2): 147-61.
41. Lazarević EV, Keković Z, Antonić B. In search of the principles of resilient urban design: Implementability of the principles in the case of the cities in Serbia. Energy Build 2018; 158: 1130-8.
42. Taban M, Hayati Z, Hamed N. Exploring the Effect of Situation and Place on Change in Personal Space Border (Case Study: Dezful Traditional Bazaar). The Journal of Social Studies and Research in Iran 2018; 7(3): 469-95. [Farsi]
43. Azemati H, Pourbagher S, Mohammadi M. Main factors affecting personal spaces’ desirability in the educational environments (case study: faculty of architecture and urban design). Journal of Environmental Science and Technology 2018; 19(475): 209-19.
44. Oniszczenko W, Stanisławiak E. Association between sex and body mass index as mediated by temperament in a nonclinical adult sample. Eat Weight Disord 2019; 24: 291-8.
45. Kaitz M, Bar-Haim Y, Lehrer M, Grossman E. Adult attachment style and interpersonal distance. Attach Hum Dev 2004; 6(3): 285-304.
46. Nishihara R, Okubo M. A study on personal space in virtual space based on personality. Procedia Manuf 2015; 3: 2183-90.
47. Welsch R, von Castell C, Hecht H. The anisotropy of personal space. PloS One 2019; 14(6): e0217587.
48. Akande A. Determinants of personal space among South African students. The Journal of Psychology 1997; 131(5): 569-71.
49.  
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