The Scottish Government

« Previous | Contents | Next »

Listen

CHILDREN'S ATTITUDES TO SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT

CHAPTER EIGHT CASE STUDY METHODOLOGY

INTRODUCTION

8.1 In order to investigate in detail some of the influencing factors on children's attitudes, a series of case studies were undertaken in schools across Scotland. The objectives of these were:

• Identification of the attitudes of primary and secondary school children towards sustainable transport; and
• Understanding the influence of environmental education within the curriculum on children's and their carers' attitudes to the school journey.

METHODOLOGY

Selection of Schools

8.2 A range of local authority areas were selected, where no objection to participation had been received from education or transport departments. These covered rural, suburban and urban areas of varying levels of affluence. Local authority contacts were asked to identify schools involved in Safe Routes to School and related activities.

8.3 Within these authorities, a large number of schools were originally contacted, and follow-up activity was arranged with those expressing interest in participation. Schools participating in the Eco-Schools programme, Sustainable Secondary Schools, New Community Schools and Active Primary schools were included in the original selection, in an attempt to establish the influence of these schemes on attitudes and behaviour.

8.4 The following schools took part in the research.

Survey Techniques

8.5 A number of methodologies were used depending on the make-up of the group and particular issues which were specific to the school. The level of commitment and involvement of the schools was universally high, but there were variations in the extent and depth of research at each of the case studies. These factors were dependent upon the availability of staff and pupils and the time commitments of both.

Discussion and Activity Groups

8.6 A variety of discussion group formats were used, based on the availability of pupils, abilities, age, time available and accommodation. A flexible approach was required when working directly with schools. Although the remit of the research is wider than children's journeys to school, in many places a focus on this particular journey helped to open discussions. It provided a clearly-defined journey familiar to all pupils with a common destination (the school). A total of 22 groups were held across the 12 schools.

8.7 In all cases studies, a strong theme was to find out what children thought of, and their perspective on using, the following types of transport:

• Car
• Bus (school bus and service bus)
• Train
• Bicycle
• Walking

8.8 Although ideas about sustainability, the environment and even sustainable transport may be poorly formed all children could describe attitudes towards and experiences of each mode of transport for different trip purposes and what factors influenced their views.

8.9 Younger primary school children were asked what influenced why they travelled to certain places, (for example, the shops) the way they did. They were also asked what they liked about travelling using each mode and what they did not. Some groups of younger children were asked to draw pictures of journeys that they liked making and journeys that they did not like making (based on the way that they travelled rather than the destination).

8.10 Older primary school children were asked what they felt were the positive and negative aspects of each form of transport, usually in relation to particular journeys. They also discussed whether they had access to information about transport, where from, and what difference it made to them.

8.11 At secondary schools, pupils discussed journeys which they made regularly, including at least one longer-distance journey. For each journey they discussed the different ways of getting there and the positive and negative factors related to each mode of transport. They also discussed access to information about transport and what difference it made to them. With older pupils it was possible to go into further detail on wider issues of independence, cost, and responsibilities.

Personal Construct Psychology Perspective

8.12 In one secondary school and one primary school, more detailed personal construct psychology (PCP) surveys were undertaken. Results from these schools identified key constructs about school travel and were used to develop the questionnaire surveys aimed at providing quantitative results across a larger number of pupils. The methodology for the PCP work was as follows:

8.13 A fundamental concept in personal construct psychology is that a person's behaviour is determined by the ways in which s/he construes an event. The theory underlying the psychology says that people construe events through a system of personal constructs, that different people will have different constructs in their system, but there will a good deal of commonality (sharing) of constructs they use in relation to many events.

8.14'Personal constructs' are bi-polar dimensions such as warm -v- cold or, less prosaically, 'allows me to travel when I want to' -v- 'have to go when others dictate'. If a person prefers the 'allows me to travel when I want to' pole they are, presumably, more likely to choose a means of transport which allows them to do that. However, this will not always be the case because the constructs in a person's construct system are arranged in a hierarchy. This helps us to understand why people can hold one opinion yet act in a way that appears to be contrary to that opinion. So, whilst our traveller may prefer a form of transport that allows him to travel when he wants to (e.g. a car), he may have a construct that he values more highly such as the environment should be protected -v- the environment is there to be used. If his preferred pole on that construct is the environment should be protected, he will be likely to choose a more environmentally-friendly form of transport for his usual mode of getting about (e.g. trains), despite his liking for travelling exactly when he wants to. Of course, as we know, the contrary may also be the case. He may prefer both that the environment be protected and forms of transport which allow him to travel when he wants to, however if in his construct system travelling when he wants to is more important than protecting the environment, he may walk straight to his car when he wants to make a journey.

8.15 Personal construct psychology has its own particular methods to help us understand why people make the decisions they do and to unravel the complexities surrounding the decisions that people choose to make. For instance, following on from the above example, why is protecting the environment less important to some people than being allowed to travel when they want to?

Questionnaire Surveys

8.16 At each school pupils and parents took part in paper-based surveys. At most schools the pupils who took part in the paper-based survey were in the same year group as those who took part in the focus groups.

8.17 Parents of pupils who took part in the paper-based surveys were also sent surveys home via their children, to return to the research team via FREEPOST reply. Surveys are described in Table 2.

Table 2 Survey descriptions

8.18 In the statistical analysis of the questionnaire data, the Likert-type statements in the questionnaires were treated at rating scales and mean ratings for the whole sample of each variable and for the sub-groups of each variables, were calculated. The mean ratings for the sub-groups of variable were tested for statistically significant differences.

8.19 Another task in the questionnaires was asking participants to rank eleven issues relating to the decision about how a child travels to school in order of importance. Mean rankings for each issue were calculated for the whole sample for each variable and for the sub-groups of each variable. In regard to the sub-groups of the variables, the mean rankings given by them for each issue were analysed by a simple eyeball comparison of the mean rankings for each issue.

Other Surveys undertaken in specific schools

Braes Secondary School

8.20 Two focus groups were run, one with twelve S2 pupils and another with twelve S5 pupils. Three facilitators led the groups. In both focus groups the procedure was the same:

1. The children were split into two 'teams' - a red team and a blue team. The children were allowed to self select which team they went into. In both focus groups all the boys went into one team and all the girls went into the other.

2. Each team was presented with a picture showing a particular mode of transport (e.g. a bus). One team was asked to think about reasons why it might be a good idea for children to travel by that mode and the other was asked why it might be a bad idea for children to travel by that means. The procedure was repeated for the other modes of transport under consideration: cycling; walking; train and car.

California Primary School

8.21 Two focus groups were run at this school both involving about 12 children. One for younger children and the other for older ones. The groups were led by two facilitators with a teacher also being in attendance.

8.22 The procedure used with the younger children involved drawing a simple picture of their most liked mode of transport and to include a background to the main subject. The children were then asked to think of things they liked and disliked about the mode of transport they had drawn and the other modes of transport. The older children were asked again to draw a simple picture of journey with a background. After completing the first drawing, the children were asked to draw the opposite scenario (using the same mode of transport). The children were then asked to compare the drawings and discuss the differences between them.

8.23 After consideration of the resources available to schools, and the results achieved in a research project undertaken with schoolchildren, the Internet chatroom approach to consultation that was originally proposed was not used. It was also felt that recent negative publicity about such systems would not be helpful in bringing schools into the research project.

8.24 The informal education sector was engaged through the consultation process. After initial investigation it was considered that no significant additional benefit would be gained from discussions with young people in such a setting.

« Previous | Contents | Next »