Restorative campus landscapes and student engagement: Dual affective pathways linking environmental perception to learning and social interaction

To address the growing issues of cognitive overload and psychological stress among college students, this study explores the statistical associations between restorative environmental perceptions within campus healing landscapes, student well-being, and behavioral intentions. Drawing on Attention Restoration Theory and Place Attachment Theory, this research aims to bridge the gap between environmental perception and specific behavioral outcomes in the Chinese university context. Using convenience survey data from 308 university students across multiple regions in China, this study employed PLS-SEM to analyze how four dimensions of restorative perception, namely immersion, detachment, intensity, and compatibility, are statistically associated with psychological recovery, place attachment, campus belonging, learning engagement intentions, and social interaction intentions. Results indicate that immersion and detachment exhibit the strongest correlations with psychological recovery. Psychological recovery emerged as the most prominent factor statistically predicted learning engagement intentions, showing a stronger linkage than parallel pathways mediated by attachment and belonging. A distinct and significant statistical association was also observed between restorative perceptions and social interaction intentions. Overall, this study suggests that healing landscapes may be relevant to students' cognitive focus, emotional stability, and social functioning. The findings highlight the importance of considering regional and landscape heterogeneities, providing evidence-based guidance for optimizing campus landscape design to support student development in diverse Chinese institutional settings.