Browsing by Subject "Perceptions"

Now showing 1 - 10 of 10

Advancing cycling among women: An exploratory study of North American cyclists
(Journal of Transport and Land Use, 2019) Le, Huyen T. K.; West, Alyson; Quinn, Fionnuala; Hankey, Steve
Past studies show that women cycle at a lower rate than men due to various factors; few studies examine attitudes and perceptions of women cyclists on a large scale. This study aims to fill that gap by examining the cycling behaviors of women cyclists across multiple cities in North America. We analyzed an online survey of 1,868 women cyclists in the US and Canada, most of whom were confident when cycling. The survey recorded respondents’ cycling skills, attitude, perceptions of safety, surrounding environment, and other factors that may affect the decision to bicycle for transport and recreation. We utilized tree-based machine learning methods (e.g., bagging, random forests, boosting) to select the most common motivations and concerns of these cyclists. Then we used chi-squared and non-parametric tests to examine the differences among cyclists of different skills and those who cycled for utilitarian and non-utilitarian purposes. Tree-based model results indicated that concerns about the lack of bicycle facilities, cycling culture, cycling’s practicality, sustainability, and health were among the most important factors for women to cycle for transport or recreation. We found that very few cyclists cycled by necessity. Most cyclists, regardless of their comfort level, preferred cycling on facilities that were separated from vehicular traffic (e.g., separated bike lanes, trails). Our study suggests opportunities for designing healthy cities for women. Cities may enhance safety to increase cycling rates of women by tailoring policy prescriptions for cyclists of different skill groups who have different concerns. Strategies that were identified as beneficial across groups, such as investing in bicycle facilities and building a cycling culture in communities and at the workplace, could be useful to incorporate in long-range planning efforts.
Assessing Neighborhood and Social Influences of Transit Corridors
(Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota, 2012-07) Fan, Yingling; Guthrie, Andrew
This research investigates neighborhood and social influences of major transit improvements in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. To delineate a comprehensive picture, this research focuses on four transit corridors—Hiawatha LRT, NorthStar Commuter Rail, Cedar Avenue BRT, and Central Corridor LRT—each of which is at a different stage of planning, construction, or operation. The project undertakes a general quantification of neighborhood social change in transit served areas. For each corridor, the researchers also investigate inter-neighborhood and inter-corridor variations in social change, and examine residents' and business owners' perceptions of neighborhood social change, as well as of the specific impacts of transit corridors. A mix of quantitative analysis and survey research is used. By examining a wide range of system development stages including planning, construction, and operation, research findings will help policy makers determine at what point in the timelines of major transit capital projects policy responses are needed and likely to be most effective. By covering a variety of transit technologies including LRT, BRT and Commuter Rail, as well as a diverse range of urban and suburban neighborhoods, results from this research will help policy makers make more informed decisions about how to prevent and mitigate socially harmful neighborhood changes associated with various types of transitways. The research also presents strategies for engaging residents and businesses with negative, neutral and positive perceptions of transit projects in the transitway development process.
Comparison of teachers' and expert judgement's perceptions of the Integrated Thematic Instruction (ITI/HET) Affordances of Highlands Elementary school grounds
(2014-11) Pates, Gregory Daniel
Highlands Elementary school grounds were originally constructed for play. Use of settings for teaching using Highlands Integrated Thematic Instruction (ITI) approach varied; some teachers were unaware of teaching opportunities that the settings "afforded." The author hypothesized that by comparing teachers' affordance perceptions with the author's "expert judgment" perceptions, opportunities could be identified to improve the "fit" of teachers' and expert judgments' perceptions in ways that would enhance suitability for teaching.Three settings were rated by teachers and expert judgment. Data was interpreted at and across settings regarding Science, Health, Social Studies, Student Inquiry, and teaching using Students' Senses ITI affordances. Relatively similar patterns were found in Science, Student Inquiry, and teaching using Students' Senses affordances. Health and Social Studies affordances were perceived differently. Differences helped interpret and infer potential opportunities to alter teaching activities and intervene in setting design to enhance suitability for teaching, and in suggestions for professional development.
The importance of understanding perceptions of accessibility when addressing transport equity: A case study in Greater Nottingham, UK
(Journal of Transport and Land Use, 2018) Curl, Angela
To deal with issues of equity in transport, increasing attention is being paid to addressing inequalities in accessibility. Existing approaches to measuring accessibility tend to focus on objective measurement, often using journey time as an indicator of spatial separation of people from places. However, using objective measures of spatial accessibility could obscure inequities in accessibility that occur due to differences in perceptions of accessibility among (groups of) individuals. This paper uses data from a case study in Greater Nottingham, UK, to demonstrate that there are differences between self-reported and objective measures of journey time access to destinations. Self-reported journey times to a number of destinations by walking, public transport, and car are compared with a nationally available dataset of accessibility indicators. Then, factors associated with self-reported journey times are investigated to understand what accounts for differences between individual’s self-reported understanding and objective measures of journey time accessibility. Results show that there is a difference between self-reported and objective measures, and that objective measures usually underestimate journey time accessibility. These differences occur because of demographic factors (e.g., age), trip familiarity, and destination definition. If accessibility metrics are to be used to address issues of social inequity related to transport, then there is a need to consider how diverse perceptions of accessibility relate to objective measures and to develop approaches that can account for social as well as spatial variation in accessibility.
Invisible Cities: creating atmospheres through imagery
(2016-12-21) Hunt, Adam
Within every physical city there are countless invisible cities that exist as perceptions of our environment. Invisible cities are atmospheric qualities that can be experienced by simplifying and removing context around the given subject and focusing on one particular quality. These atmospheres can then be developed and purified in order to breathe life into architecture all around us. Using perceptions, passages in Italo Calvino's Invisible Cities begin with objective descriptions of each city, but end with latent realizations of each place. This thesis seeks to use a similar lens to explore a variety of photographers that create architecture through imagery that includes Bernd and Hilla Becher, Andreas Gursky, Irene Kung, and Aitor Ortiz. These photographers use extensive manipulation effects in order to create a common architectural affect, a sense of monumentality de-contextualized with its surroundings. Through my travels abroad I have used photography to document additional atmospheres and have applied the comparison technique used by the Bechers, which highlights what is similar and what is different between adjacent photos. This thesis seeks to challenge the notion that plans and sections are required to create architecture, focusing instead on a series of moments, places, and atmospheres that are akin to photography.
Perceptions and coping strategies of dental hygienists practicing during the COVID-19 pandemic
(2022-02) Christensen, Shelah
Purpose: This study investigates perceptions and coping strategies used by dental hygienists during the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic, March 1, 2020 until present. The Transactional Theory of Stress and Coping was used as the framework for this study. Methods: An electronic questionnaire (QualtricsTM) with questions in three domains: demographics, perceptions, and coping strategies, was emailed to dental hygienists in five Midwest states, summer of 2021. Participants were asked to indicate perceptions of and coping strategies used, while practicing during the COVID-19 pandemic since March 1, 2020. Bivariate comparisons between respondent demographics and survey responses regarding coping, risks, and strategies were computed using Fisher’s Exact Test. Survey responses were both analyzed as the original 5-point Likert scale and a collapsed 3-point Likert scale assessing overall agreement, disagreement, and neither agreement nor disagreement. Results: Completed questionnaires totaled 167, with a 4.4% response rate. Majority of respondents were white females aged 56 or over, were employed full time, and had been in practice for ≥ 21 years in private general practices. Reduction in working hours was reported by 8.4% of respondents, and 7.2% reported leaving the profession. Perceptions of practicing during the pandemic were reported as experiencing increased risk of infection, a threat to the health of self, family/loved ones, and more physically demanding. The vaccine aided in reducing risk perceptions. Adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies were used while practicing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion: Dental hygienists perceive practicing dental hygiene during the COVID-19 pandemic as putting themselves and family/loved ones at risk of contracting the virus. Respondents reported dental hygiene practice is more physically demanding than before the COVID-19 pandemic and dental hygienists are more easily agitated and worried. Dental hygienists are finding ways of coping with these stresses by engaging in practice to improve mental health, using personal relationships for support, exercising, turning to spirituality, and using social media more than before the pandemic. Dental hygienists in this study reported reduced hours of work, leaving the profession, and considering a different profession, contributing to workforce attrition.
Student-Athlete Perception on a College Campus
(2011) McHugh, Michael; Hyman, Randy; Ryan, Cindy; Rauschenfels, Diane
Negative attitudes regarding a student-athlete’s academic ability exist in the collegiate environment in the form of the “dumb jock” stereotype (Baucom & Lantz, 2001; Bosworth, Fujita, Jensen, & Simons, 2007; Sailes, 1993; McHugh Engstrom & Sedlacek, 1991). These attitudes and stereotypical images hinder a student-athlete’s academic achievement (Chomitz, Dawson, Slining, McGowan, & Mitchelll, 2009; Aries, Benaji, McCarthy, & Salovey, 2004; Morphew, Toma, & Wolf-Wendel, 2001). The author conducted a study at a public, NCAA Division II university whose student-athletes had a proven and publicized history of academic success. The study examined if perceptions of collegiate student-athletes were congruent with those negative feelings towards the group identified in the research. The setting was selected because of the university’s unique history of proven levels of academic success within the student-athlete population. Results found that a positive perception felt by the student-athletes from the campus community was congruent with the high level of student athletes’ academic achievement.
Superintendents’ perceptions of career development.
(2011-11) Oberstar, Vicki Lee
Perceptions held by superintendents' regarding federal and state career education policy influence the implementation of career education development activities at the local level. There are limited research resources available that explore the thoughts of superintendents regarding the issue of career education; this research project conducted a study in which five superintendents from Northeastern Minnesota were interviewed regarding their perceptions of career development and implementation practices. As leaders, superintendents influence the school curriculum, so it is important to consider their role in the process of creating, implementing, evaluating, and maintaining career education. The subjects' perceptions were studied in regards to their interpretations of career development legislation at the federal level, the state level, and the local level. The research has found a variety of insights which has resulted in an array of implementation practices and career development advocating strategies used by current superintendents in the study. Regarding legislation, all superintendents were in agreement that the action to combine previous legislation into the Perkins IV was a good move, easier to understand and implement. Each administrator differed in their approaches regarding how they viewed career development programming; one superintendent was content with current legislation and programming as career development has advanced since this administrator's youth, whereas the other four felt more could be done. School leaders varied on their opinions regarding the success rate of the program; some leaders felt that the children were simply too young, so the current career education did not influence future actions, other superintendents felt it was imperative and it would help ensure global competition in the workplace for our nation. All superintendents perceived career development as a benefit to the school curriculum but were concerned about the implied messages students were receiving from teachers and thought that teachers needed more training in the career development field. However, the resonating common theme of thought amongst all administrators was their concern for sustainability due to the lack of existing funding, complicated further by future potential funding cuts.
Using the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) to predict the behavioral intent of teledentistry utilization amongst United States adults
(2022-06) VanDeWiele, Mercedes
Objectives: Teledentistry is an innovative health care delivery platform that can potentially improve oral health outcomes and access. The purpose of this study was to predict teledentistry utilization intentions of U.S. adults.Methods: This mixed-methods, cross-sectional study surveyed 899 participants from two independent samples in August and September 2021: Minnesota State Fair attendees and ResearchMatch. Data were analyzed using univariate analysis and multiple linear regression. Qualitative responses were coded using UTAUT constructs. Results: Univariate analysis showed statistical significance between each construct with BI (P < 0.0001). Multiple linear regression revealed statistical significance between PE and SI with BI (P < 0.0001). Qualitative responses corroborated quantitative results and revealed a lack of teledentistry knowledge. Conclusion: Participant BI was significantly associated with PE and SI. The general lack of knowledge suggests that intervention designs building on PE and SI could help develop educational or marketing strategies to increase teledentistry uptake.
Why people use their cars while the built environment imposes cycling
(Journal of Transport and Land Use, 2013) Van Acker, Veronique; Derudder, Ben; Witlox, Frank
Residing in a high-density, diverse, and accessible neighborhood tends to be associated with less car use, more public transport, and more cycling and walking. However, this does not hold for all people because of differences in personal perceptions and preferences. This paper, therefore, analyzes spatial (mis)match, or the correspondence between perceptions of someone’s residence and the objectively measured spatial characteristics of that residence. Based on a sample for Flanders, Belgium, we found that people tend to overrate the urbanized character of their residence. Among urbanites, (mis)matched spatial perceptions do not influence mode choice. Mode choices remain mainly influenced by urban characteristics and not by personal perceptions as such. However, the influence of spatial (mis)match becomes more important among rural dwellers and, especially, suburbanites. The travel consequences of (mis)matched spatial perceptions thus clearly depend on the residential neighborhood type.

University Digital Conservancy

Browse by Subject

Browsing by Subject "Perceptions"