Example: 100 (possible total assignment points) - 30 points (three wrong answers) = 70 (assignment grade) x .05 = 3.5 total grade points

Assignment Guidelines

Please review the Kaltura assignment video in  PRM 447 Assignment 2 If you cannot view the video, contact the Student Technology Center at (928) 523-9294 or (888) 520-7215

 READ SECTION 2.4 IN THE TEXT, BEFORE ATTEMPTING ASSIGNMENT 2

The purpose of this assignment is to help you begin to evaluate some of the basic information in a research article and determine its validity based on the information provided. The key to reading research is DO NOT assume anything. Read the information as presented. Learn to have a critical eye for the basic information that should be provided.

Terminology you need to understand:

• Population (p. 134)
• Sample (random & convenience( (pp. 134-136 & 142)
• Data Collection Methodology (p. 122-123)

Sample Practice Study

Read the Flagstaff Parks and Recreation Master Plan Survey (2012). From reading this sample study the answers from the study would be:

1) What method(s) were used to distribute the survey? In-person and online

2) Is this research design valid? This refers to the response rate, data collection/analyses, and population(s).

• If yes, you are finished.
• If no, what are the problem(s) with the design?

      No, it is not valid. It used a very limited population from people shopping at two Basha's Supermarkets and the East Flagstaff and City of Flagstaff Main Libraries and people walking around Heritage Square in downtown Flagstaff. It also combines the online survey and face-to-face survey data. The results are generalized to all Flagstaff residents from this convenience sample. This study is in no way representative of the citizens of Flagstaff.

3) What was the response rate for the survey? Be sure to use the correct calculation and show your work. DO NOT round your answer and remember to move the decimal place.

      It was a convenience sample of 461 (161 in-person and 300 online), so the response rate was 100%.

4) What was/were the population(s) (N) used for the survey? Note: This is not asking for a population number, but a population description.

       It had two populations. Population #1 Face-to-Face: people shopping at two Basha's Supermarkets and the East Flagstaff and City of Flagstaff Main Libraries and people walking around Heritage Square in downtown Flagstaff; and Polulation #2 online: people who filled out the onlline questionnaire.

5) To what population(s) can these results be generalized ?

        Since it is a convenience sample, it can only be generalized to those individuals who completed a questionnaire.

Assignment 2 - Questionnaire Design

Part 1 - Sahuarita Parks and Recreation Citizen Survey

	If yes, you are finished.
	If no, what are the problem(s) with the design?

3) What was the response rate for the survey? Be sure to use the correct calculation and show your work. DO NOT round your answer and remember to move the decimal place.


The formula in the text on page 157 is incorrect! The CORRECT formula is: Number of Completed Questionnaires Returned (divided by) Number of Questionnaires Distributed = Response Rate
 

4) What was/were the population(s) (N) used for the survey? Note: This is not asking for a population number, but a population description.

5) To what population(s) can these results be generalized ?

Sahuarita Parks And Recreation Citizen Survey Summary

In October 2004 the Town of Sahuarita Parks & Recreation Department and the Parks & Recreation Commission mailed out a general recreation needs survey to residents of Sahuarita. The survey requested resident input on recreational facilities and programs they wanted or felt the Town could focus on. Results were tabulated and summarized for the Town through the Green Valley News. We received 237 completed surveys out of 2,406 distributed, including 66 handed out at Fiesta Sahuarita.

People were asked what recreational activities they participated in, what types of facilities they would use or programs they would participate in if offered in Sahuarita. They were asked to list the top 5 priorities they felt the Town should build or focus on. Following is a general summary of the findings.

The top five activities people said they participated in during the last 6 months were walking or hiking, swimming, using fitness equipment, biking and attending a special event. The next five activities people participated in included using a playground, golf, arts and crafts, use of a playground with water and boating or fishing.

People indicated that having concerts in the park and having a nearby park to go to were of most interest to them. The top 2 facilities were a swimming pool and picnic or ramada areas. The following 3 activities or categories of high interest were special or holiday events, fitness, an indoor gym, music, arts and crafts and hiking (in that order). In addition to the initial shared interests by all groups, people with children expressed additional interests that included youth organized sports, playground with water, youth swim lessons and lighted fields. People without children were more inclined to use or want fitness activities, hiking, music and a wildlife/educational habitat area.

When people were asked about what they thought their overall participation preferences were related to age groups, all people cited concerts in the park, nearby parks, a swimming pool, picnic areas and fitness. Those under the age of 35 also added an indoor gym, lighted fields, playground with water, youth and adult organized sports. Those in the 34-54 age group listed special events, an indoor gym, music, arts and crafts and multi-use fields. Those 55 and older also wanted special events but requested a senior center and programs, arts and crafts and hiking.

When asked about the top five priorities people thought the Town should provide/build, the top three were shared by all: a swimming pool, concerts in the park and fitness. Those under age 35 added racquetball, youth organized sports, nearby parks, dance, toddler programs, basketball and lighted fields. Those 34 – 54 chose an indoor gym, arts and crafts, racquetball, tennis, off leash dog area, a skate park and teen program. People age 55 and older added hiking, indoor gym, arts and crafts, a senior center and senior programs, wildlife habitat/educational area and golf to their list.

Part 2 - City of Flagstaff Walking and Biking Survey

Review the City of Flagstaff Walking and Biking Survey Summary below. Look for problems with the research design. This is to sharpen your ability to evaluate the structure of a research study. Then answer the following questions:

6) What method(s) were used to distribute the survey?

7) Is this research design valid? This refers to the response rate, data collection/analyses, and population(s).

	If yes, you are finished.
	If no, what are the problem(s) with the design?

8) What was the response rate for the survey?

9) What was/were the population(s) (N) used for the survey? Note: This is not asking for a population number, but a population description.

10) To what population(s) can these results be generalized ?

City of Flagstaff Walking and Biking Survey Results -February 2016

     This working paper summarizes the results of the walking and biking survey conducted by the City of Flagstaff and Flagstaff Metropolitan Planning Organization in the summer of 2014.
     The survey was undertaken in support of the City’s process to prepare pedestrian, bicycle, and FUTS master plans and is intended to gather information about walking and biking in Flagstaff from the community. More specifically, information gathered from the survey can help to:

 Identify specific locations in Flagstaff – streets, intersections, neighborhoods – where there are problems with walking and biking, as well as those places where walking and biking is enjoyable

 Gain a better understanding of the reasons why these places are good or not-so-good for walking and bicycling

 Isolate the factors, from the public’s perspective, that encourage people to walk or bike, and

 Solicit suggestions from the community regarding how walking and bicycling in Flagstaff can be improved.

The survey
Questions
The bulk of the survey was comprised of four open-ended questions that were repeated for walking and for bicycling:

 Where is it difficult or uncomfortable to walk (bike) in Flagstaff, and what makes it difficult or uncomfortable to walk (bike) there?

 Where is it good to walk (bike) in Flagstaff, and what makes it good to walk (bike) there?

 What do you like about walking (biking) in Flagstaff?

 What could be done to improve walking (biking) in Flagstaff?

     For each question, respondents were able to list up to five locations or responses.
Survey questions were purposefully made open-ended so that respondents could list any location, reason or suggestion, rather than select from predetermined lists of responses as would be the case in multiple-choice questions. This structure made it more time-consuming and complicated to compile results, but there is more certainty that the results have not been influenced or limited by predetermined choices.

Outreach
     The survey was available from May through September of 2014. An on-line version was posted on the City’s website, and a paper version was also made available. The survey was publicized in several ways:

 Invitations to take the survey were posted on the Facebook page for the Flagstaff Urban Trails System several times over the course of the summer.

 Email invitations were sent on several occasions to individuals who signed up for the “Notify Me” function on the City’s website for Pedestrian Advisory Committee, Bicycle Advisory Committee, and Flagstaff Urban Trails System.

 Several organizations outside the City, including Flagstaff Biking Organization and Friends of Flagstaff’s Future, helped publicize the survey to their membership.

Additionally, North Country Health Care’s Hermosa Vida project helped distribute the survey in an effort to reach populations that are typically underrepresented in walking and biking surveys, including residents of low-income neighborhoods, individuals with limited English proficiency, and non-white populations. As part of this effort, Hermosa Visa translated the survey into Spanish and made it available at a variety of community events. Hermosa Vida is a program of the North Country HealthCare that promotes healthy lifestyles in Flagstaff’s low income neighborhoods.

Response
A total of 458 completed surveys were submitted. This is generally a higher number of responses than other City surveys of this nature, especially given that the survey took some time and effort for respondents to complete. The open-ended structure of the survey, combined with a relatively high number of responses, provides a wealth of information about walking and biking in Flagstaff.

Survey respondents were asked to list up to five locations where it is difficult or uncomfortable to ride a bicycle in Flagstaff, and to indicate what makes it difficult or uncomfortable to bike there. A total of 338 individuals submitted 989 responses to this question, representing 141 unique locations and 1489 reasons why biking is difficult or uncomfortable at those locations.

All locations
For the purposes of further analysis, all of the locations submitted have been categorized by general type and are listed in Table 34. Survey results for each type of location are given in subsequent tables below.

 Almost two-thirds of the locations (65.9 percent) submitted in response to this question are street corridors.

 Intersection locations are a distant second, representing 11.1 percent of locations. Table 35 includes all the locations listed in response to this question.

 By a wide margin, the most uncomfortable and difficult location for bicyclists is Milton Road, which was cited by a total of 165 times, which represents almost half of respondents (165 out of 338) and 17.5 percent of locations.

 Other significant locations include Butler Avenue (7.6 percent of locations), Route 66 (6.8 percent), downtown Flagstaff (6.6 percent) and Fort Valley Road (5.6 percent). Table 36 summarizes the factors provided by respondents that make biking difficult or uncomfortable at these locations.

 Just under a third of the factors (29.6 percent) are issues related to bike lanes. These issues include bike lanes that end or are missing (23.1 percent), bike lanes that should be wider (5.9 percent) and other bike lane issues (0.6 percent).

 Concerns about traffic were cited second-most at 17.4 percent. Other significant factors associated with bicycle discomfort include driver behavior (8.6 percent), maintenance (8.2 percent), and issues with FUTS trails (6.2 percent).

 It is noteworthy that 38 respondents indicated a need for grade separations at various locations. Thirteen of these responses cited the railroad underpass at Florence-Walnut, and another 12 indicated a need for an underpass beneath Route 66 and the BNSF tracks between downtown and the Southside.

 Submit this assignment to the course Instructor as an email message.

Prepared by
City of Flagstaff - Flagstaff Metropolitan Planning Organization
211 West Aspen Avenue
Flagstaff, Arizona 86001
928 213 2685
mince@flagstaffaz.gov
www.flagstaff.az.gov
www.flagstaffmpo.org

 

[ Unit 2]

 

Copyright 2001. Northern Arizona University, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED