Facilitating students´ connection with nature in university green spaces: The role of guided immersion in shaping emotional and symbolic engagement

• Guide-led experiences foster deeper connections. • Guided immersion boosts nature connection in students. • Guided practices enhance emotional engagement. • Urban green spaces vital for student well-being. • Nature immersion improves focus and interaction. Urbanization has reshaped human–nature relationships, often by limiting opportunities for emotional and symbolic connection with natural environments. This disconnection has adversely affected both human well-being and environmental conservation, underscoring the importance of reconnecting people with nature, particularly in urban settings in which contact with natural spaces is often limited. This study evaluated the effect of guided urban nature immersion practices on students´ connection with nature in university green spaces. Thirty college students were randomly assigned to three groups: guided nature immersion, unguided nature immersion, and control. Over the course of eight weeks, the immersion groups attended weekly sessions in campus green areas, while the control group maintained their usual routines. The guided group participated in structured sensory activities based on the forest bathing methodology of the Forest Therapy Hub. Connection with nature was assessed using a modified Connectedness to Nature Scale (CNS) at three timepoints (before immersion, during the study period, and after the final intervention), supported by qualitative data from field notes and open-ended responses. Both immersion groups showed an increase in nature connection, but only the guided group demonstrated a statistically significant change. These participants expressed more consistent and complex emotional, sensory, and cognitive responses, reflected in the emergent categories of attentional focus, interaction modality, and emotional openness. The study concludes that guided experiences can enhance nature connection by providing structure, promoting reflection, and fostering emotionally meaningful interactions in urban natural spaces.