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Background: Active school transportation (AST) is an important source of physical activity for children and a potentially important climate change mitigation strategy. However, few studies have examined factors associated with AST in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We used baseline data from a longitudinal survey to investigate correlates of AST during the second wave of COVID-19 (December 2020). We collected survey data from 2291 parents of 7- to 12-year-olds across Canada and linked this information with data on neighborhood walkability and weather from national databases. We assessed potential correlates representing multiple levels of influence of the social–ecological model. We used gender-stratified binary logistic regression models to determine the correlates of children's travel mode to/from school (dichotomized as active vs motorized), while controlling for household income. We examined the correlates of travel mode for both the morning and afternoon trips. Results: Consistent correlates of AST among Canadian children during the COVID-19 pandemic included greater independent mobility, warmer outdoor temperature, having a parent who actively commuted to work or school, living in a household owning fewer vehicles, and living in a more walkable neighborhood. These findings were largely consistent between boys and girls and between morning and afternoon school trips. Conclusions: Policymakers, urban planners, and public health workers aiming to promote AST should focus on these correlates while ensuring that neighborhoods are safe for children. Future research should monitor the prevalence and correlates of AST as COVID-19 restrictions are removed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Planning Education & Research is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Some school districts have centralized school operations as a means to ensure universal access to schools of choice. Yet, centralization can infringe on charter school autonomy. We explore how district and charter school leaders in three contexts perceive and negotiate the trade-offs between centralized versus school-based autonomy. We find that decision-making and governance of student transportation are inherently place-specific, with conditions of history, geography, infrastructure, and state governance dominating leaders' preferences. Therefore, despite the recognized benefits, school leaders maintain vastly different perspectives about the feasibility and appeal of centralized transportation within the charter sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

School transportation may have important implications for academic success, but few studies examine how these variables are related. This systematic review is the first that synthesizes research linking school transportation with academic outcomes. Using the PRISMA framework, the authors conducted a literature search across multiple data sources and screened articles for the following eligibility criteria: 1) Design is quantitative or mixed methods; 2) Sample consists of primary or secondary school students; 3) Variables include school transportation and academic outcomes. Two reviewers independently screened each study for inclusion criteria. Two reviewers also independently rated each study on methodological quality in five dimensions using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT). Throughout the process, reviewers consulted to resolve any discrepancies between ratings. The search revealed 249 abstracts that were screened for inclusion criteria. This resulted in 61 relevant articles after duplicates were removed. After screening, reviewers determined that 26 studies met inclusion criteria. Most took place in the United States, although studies were also conducted in Canada, Croatia, England, Nepal, Pakistan, Portugal, South Africa, and Spain. Thirteen studies met all MMAT methodological quality standards. Longer travel times and transportation challenges were associated with adverse academic outcomes except when they provided access to higher-quality schools. School bus transportation had a mixed relationship with academic outcomes. The authors conclude that research points to the importance of transportation as it relates to academic success, especially for students of color and those from low-income households. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the existence of anchoring bias—people's tendency to rely on, evaluate, and decide based on the first piece of information they receive—is examined in two multi‐attribute decision‐making (MADM) methods, simple multi‐attribute rating technique (SMART), and Swing. Data were collected from university students for a transportation mode selection. Data analysis revealed that the two methods, which have different starting points, display different degrees of anchoring bias. Statistical analyses of the weights obtained from the two methods show that, compared to Swing (with a high anchor), SMART (with a low anchor) produces lower weights for the least important attributes, while for the most important attributes, the opposite is true. Despite their differences in anchoring bias, analytical approaches supported by empirical studies suggest that both methods (SMART and Swing) overweigh the less important attributes and underweigh the more important attributes. As such, we examined whether the best‐worst method (BWM), which has two opposite anchors in its procedure (a possible promising anchoring debiasing strategy), could produce results that are less prone to anchoring bias. Our findings show that the BWM is indeed able to produce lower weights (compared to SMART and Swing) for the less important attributes and higher weights for the more important attributes. This study shows the vulnerability of MADM methods with a single anchor and supports the idea that MADM methods with multiple (opposite) anchors, like BWM, are less prone to anchoring bias. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Over the last decades, the prevalence of AST has decreased significantly. Barriers to active school transport (AST) have been extensively examined in the literature, while psychosocial factors that facilitate AST have received less attention. To our best knowledge, there are currently no reviews on this subject. Therefore, the objective of this review was to scope the literature and identify published research about psychosocial factors related to AST. Methods: Systematic searches conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, TRID, Scopus, and ERIC resulted in a total of 1933 publications, and 77 of them were considered eligible for this review. Results: The results of the included articles were categorised into four psychosocial factors: confidence in ability, attitudes, social support, and social norms, which were all generally positively related to AST, with a few exceptions. Conclusion: The findings of this review indicate that these psychosocial factors may be important to consider when developing interventions and highlight that both children and parents should be involved in the process. This knowledge can serve as a valuable guide for developing interventions to promote AST. However, the evidence base supporting these psychosocial factors requires further investigation to fully understand how and when to incorporate them to maximise AST efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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School transportation may increase student outcomes by providing a reliable and safe means of getting to and from school. Little evidence of the effects of such policies exists. In this paper, I provide some of the first causal evidence of transportation impacts on student attendance and achievement using a rich panel of student-level enrollment and address data for Michigan public school students and a unique dataset of district transportation policies for the largest fifty districts in Michigan. I exploit the walking distance cutoffs that determine transportation eligibility using a regression discontinuity design. I find that transportation eligibility increases attendance rates and lowers the probability of chronic absence. These effects are largest for economically disadvantaged students, who experience a 0.5 to 1 percentage point increase in attendance rates and a 2 to 4 percentage point decrease in the probability of being chronically absent. These results are compelling evidence that school-provided transportation increases attendance for students most at risk to miss school. However, I find no effect of school transportation on student achievement outcomes. Given the high costs of school transportation, targeting additional transportation services to chronically absent students as an attendance intervention may be more efficient than increasing bus services for all students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid growth of the national economy, people's demand for transportation is becoming increasingly strong. The rail transit business is booming in large and medium-sized cities, and the education management of urban rail transit students needs further reform. At the same time, digital information technology is widely used in various fields, and digital management of education has become one of the major development directions of education reform. The study proposes a specific construction path based on the analysis of the necessity of digital management of education for urban rail transportation majors, and then optimizes the K-medoids algorithm in the clustering algorithm and validates its education digital management effect. The outcomes show that the clustering precision of the upgraded K-medoids algorithm in the selected dataset is up to 92.68%, and the running time is all below 5s, with the lowest value being 3.9s; In the digital management of urban rail transit majors in universities, the precision obtained by the algorithm is all maintained at around 95%, and the satisfaction rate is all higher than 90%. The effectiveness of the proposed method has been verified, providing a new method for the management of digital education systems for urban rail transit students. It can better understand the needs and characteristics of students, help improve their learning effectiveness and educational quality, and achieve more targeted allocation of educational resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In Colombia, active transportation has been assessed in multiple local and regional studies, but national data on active transportation are scarce. This study aims to describe the prevalence and factors associated with active transportation to/from school among Colombian children and adolescents. Methods: The authors analyzed nationally representative data from the National Survey of Nutrition 2015, with a sample of 11,466 children and adolescents aged between 3 and 17 years. Descriptive statistics were calculated, and prevalence ratios were estimated using Poisson regression multivariable models with robust variance. Results: Approximately 70% of Colombian children and adolescents reported engaging in active transportation to/from school over the last week. There were no differences by sex among preschoolers nor school-aged children. Fewer adolescent females than males used active transportation. Preschoolers and school-aged children living in Bogota were more likely to report active transport than children from other regions (prevalence ratios for other regions ranged from 0.59 to 0.86). School-aged children and adolescents with a lower wealth index were more likely to use active transportation than their counterparts (prevalence ratios = 1.32 and 1.22, respectively). Conclusions: The wealthiest children and adolescents, adolescents from rural areas, and female adolescents should be a focus for future interventions. Actions need to be implemented to improve the involvement in active transportation to/from school in Colombia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gothenburg city has bold ambitions of becoming carbon neutral. School commuting is one piece of the puzzle in reducing emissions. While the literature on school transportation is extensive, the issue of climate change has been overlooked. This article explores how parents in the district of Majorna understand mundane choices of school transportation in a context of increasing recognition of climate change. The article shows that school transport is a contentious issue, entangled with subjectivity, emotions, and notions of responsibility. The findings also highlight some complexities: (1) Although most parents are concerned with climate change it is not a significant factor in daily transportation. (2) There is a discourse in favour of active transportation where climate change is explicitly downplayed, on the other hand regular car use merges with deep climate concerns. (3) Informants' anticipations of future urban traffic conflict with their hopes, yet it seems difficult to imagine something otherwise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics is one of the 15 occupational areas covered under the National Career Clusters© Framework and is projected to grow in the next decade. The exclusion of women in transportation is a significant barrier to ensuring a robust and equitable workforce. This study examined predictors of transportation career intentions in a sample (N = 263) of high school students. Participants completed measures of: attitudes toward transportation careers, social norms, ambient belonging, and transportation career intentions. Results of structural equation modeling indicated a model with attitudes, social norms, and ambient belonging as predictors of intentions provided a close fit to the data and that the path from ambient belonging to transportation career intentions was significant. The final structural model explained 66% of the variance in intentions. A multiple group analysis indicated that the relationship between ambient belonging and intentions was stronger for girls than boys. Results have implications for the role of belonging in transportation career and technical education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article introduces the cumulative school bus routing problem, which concerns the transport of students from a school using a fleet of identical buses. The objective of the problem is to select a drop‐off point for each student among potential locations within a certain walking distance and to generate routes such that the sum of arrival times of all students from their school to their homes is minimized. The article describes six polynomial‐size mixed integer linear programming formulations based on original and auxiliary graphs, and the formulations are numerically compared on real instances. The article reports the results of computational experiments performed to evaluate the performance of the proposed models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Active school transportation (AST), including walking or cycling, is a common practice across India contributing to physical activity accumulation among children and youth. Despite the proven health benefits of AST, rising air pollution levels may offset these benefits and discourage AST. With climate change and severe heat waves exacerbating poor air quality, this study aimed to examine the association between perceptions of air pollution as a problem and AST among children and youth in India. No previous studies have assessed AST determinants from a child or youth perspective in India; thus, this cross-sectional, observational study surveyed 1042 children and youth from 41 urban and rural schools. Logistic regression models were conducted and stratified by age group, gender, and urban vs. rural location. Children and youth who perceived air pollution to be a problem were less likely to engage in AST (OR = 0.617, 95% CI = 0.412, 0.923, p < 0.001), with AST varying based on age, gender, and location. The perception of air pollution as a problem was associated with a lower likelihood of engaging in AST in the 5- to 12-year age group (OR = 0.366, 95% CI = 0.187, 0.711, p = 0.003) but not in the 13- to 17-year age group. Similarly, males (OR = 0.528, 95% CI = 0.306, 0.908, p = 0.021) and rural residents (OR = 0.569, 95% CI = 0.338, 0.956, p = 0.033) who perceived air pollution as a problem were less likely to engage in AST; however, this association was not found in females or urban residents. These findings highlight the importance of child and youth perceptions of the environment in not only informing public health advisories for air quality and safe outdoor activity, but also for designing targeted interventions considering sociodemographic differences in AST among children and youth in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines how the student transportation options available to families affect which schools are accessible to them in a choice-based setting. The study has two parts. First, we compare commute times by foot, public transit, school bus, and car. We show that providing school bus service reduces commute times and improves access for families without cars, but access to a car fundamentally shapes families' options. Second, we explore the relationship between neighborhood-level measures of vehicle access and families' school requests and placements. Car access is strongly associated with school requests and placements even after accounting for neighborhood characteristics. We consider car access as a pathway by which wealth disparities produce educational disparities in settings that emphasize school choice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little is known about the modes of active commuting to and from school (ACS) in toddlers (2–3 years old). The aims of the present study are threefold: (a) to describe the modes of transport to and from early childhood education and care (ECEC) institutions in toddlers; (b) to analyze the role of different barriers and neighbourhood characteristics, as perceived by parents, in ACS; and (c) to examine the contribution of ACS on levels of PA. Parents provided written input through a questionnaire about the modes of transport to school they use with their young children, the weekly use-frequency of each mode, as well as the barriers they perceived to walking or riding a bike to ECEC institutions. The final sample consisted of 154 young children from Valencia (Spain). In a randomly selected subsample of 44 children, PA was measured using accelerometers. Cars and strollers were the most common modes of transport in toddlers. Perceived distance to school was negatively correlated to ACS, whereas parents' perceptions around planning/psychosocial barriers was also negatively associated with ACS. There was a significant and positive association between ACS and total PA. However, ACS contributes positively to toddlers' overall PA levels. This study provides information about planning/psychosocial barriers as significant predictors of ACS in toddlers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research focuses on children's transportation to school in urban areas. The first of the issues addressed in the study is the evaluation of research questions, objectives, methods used, with whom and how the research can be conducted while creating a research outline for this subject; the second includes evaluations were conducted on practices and new application models developed to support active travel between home and school for children in urban areas. In this context, this review evaluated 27 studies published between 2000 and 2019 covering the issues of walking or cycling to school from different aspects. The studies examined were handled under three main headings: the general content of the articles, their methods and procedures, and as research questions and results. According to the findings of the studies examined, seven research questions were created and concrete outputs related to the subject were presented through the answers of these questions. As a result, regarding active travel of children to school, measures to be taken in terms of safety, transportation, education, planning, design, and implementation were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: School-aged children in the Southeast, compared with other United States of America (US) regions, have significantly lower levels of active transportation to school (ATS). The purpose of this study was to contrast the parental correlates of ATS choice specific to the Southeast with other areas of the US. Methods: This study utilized national data from 2952 households with school-aged children located within a 20-minute walk to a school. Parents reported their children's ATS behavior and their own ATS beliefs and perceptions. Logistic regression contrasted correlates of parents from the Southeast with other regions. Results: Parents in the Southeast, compared with parents across the US, were significantly less likely to allow their child to take ATS (12.9% vs 33.3%, respectively) (odds ratio [OR] = 0.46; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.36–0.59). Specific to the Southeast, parental correlates linked to increases in ATS were Black race/ethnicity (OR = 1.68; 95% CI, 1.31–2.60), being single, (OR = 1.71; 95% CI, 1.15–2.54), and any parental physical activity (P value for trend =.0053). The only correlate associated with a decrease in ATS in the Southeast was heightened safety concerns (eg, traffic speed, safe crossings) (OR = 0.44; 95% CI, 0.23–0.84). Conclusions: Among households with children in the Southeast, ATS interventions that allay parental safety concerns and that promote physical activity among parents might lead to increases in ATS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article introduces an ontology-based framework for group assessment analytics that investigates the impact of intra-group interactions on group performance within the context of project-based collaborative learning (PBCL). Additionally, it aims to predict learners' performance based on these interactions. The study involved 312 first-degree students specializing in transportation and technology engineering. The framework collects interaction data from discussion forums and chat rooms, conducts comprehensive data analysis, and constructs prediction models using supervised learning methods. The results unequivocally demonstrate that intra-group interactions significantly affect group performance in PBCL. The prediction model, with an accuracy metric of 0.92 and a final test score of 0.77, supports the credibility of the findings. Notably, the framework utilizes an ePortfolio specifically designed for group assessments, effectively managing both assessment and group data. This framework provides educators with a robust tool to assess group performance, identify areas requiring improvement, and contribute to shaping informed student learning outcomes. Furthermore, it empowers students by enabling them to receive feedback on their collaborative efforts, fostering enhanced interaction skills. These findings carry significant implications for the development and implementation of PBCL environments, offering educators valuable insights for evaluating student progress and making strategic decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Angkutan Cerdas Sekolah (ACS) is a program from the Ponorogo Regency Government as an effort to make it easier for students to get free school transportation. The purpose of this research is to describe the evaluation of the implementation of the ACS Program and to describe the inhibiting and supporting factors for the implementation of the ACS program in Ponorogo Regency. This type of research is descriptive qualitative. Data analysis techniques Qualitative analysis is carried out through data collection, data reduction, data presentation, and withdrawal conclusion. The results of the study show that the ACS program in the District Ponorogo is still not running effectively. In terms of effectiveness, it has not been effective because there are still many underage children who use motorbikes. The efficiency aspect has been fulfilled because it has implemented cost and time efficiency in program operations. In the aspect of adequacy still not fulfilled because of the limited number and capacity of the fleet in transporting students. In the aspect of alignment it is still not evenly distributed because there are still many schools that have not received program services. The responsiveness aspect has received response and support from ACS users and parents. Aspects of provisions, programs This ACS is right on target, namely to transport students. In the implementation of the ACS program, of course, there are inhibiting and supporting factors. The inhibiting factor for the first ACS program was resources, because human resources in the form of Department of Transportation staff were inadequate to carry out socialization and financial resources were also inadequate, which affected the provision of fleets and the provision of program support facilities. The second inhibiting factor is the bureaucratic structure due to the absence of Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) that are clear and regional regulations that cover program implementation. While the supporting factors for the implementation of the first ACS program, namely, communication through transmission and clarity of information have been running optimally. The second supporting factor is the attitude of the implementer that liveliness officer executor socialization from Service Communications Ponorogo Regency for schools and students is carried out continuously every new school year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: We describe charter school leaders' beliefs and practices as they relate to student transportation in three choice-rich cities. Research Methods/Approach: Data come from a multiple comparative case study of district and charter school leaders' perceptions and implementation of transportation policies in three choice-rich cities with distinct student-transportation requirements, geographic landscapes, and school-choice markets. We analyzed public documentation and individual, semistructured interviews with 26 representatives from charter schools, authorizing agencies, and district administrators across the case sites. Findings: Even with local policies requiring universal transportation in two of our three case cities, charter school leaders did not foreground equity goals in school access when discussing transportation or did so in relatively weak ways. In contrast, all three cities showed evidence of market-based principles that, at times, were coupled with state and community values to bolster the legitimacy of market-driven transportation practices at the expense of equity goals. Despite the prevalence of the market-based values, we argue that local regulations and structures can support equitable transportation practices. Implications: Our results highlight the strong influence of market-based principles on charter school practices for student transportation. Without equitable provision of student transportation, the theory of change of school choice—that families will have equal access to schools—is challenged. State- and district-level regulations (such as transportation mandates) and structures (such as public transit and universal enrollment systems) can elevate goals of equity for charter school leaders or help manage competitive forces that compel charter schools to prioritize market-based goals over equity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few empirical studies describe the interior world of alternative school settings. We conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with 11 alternative school students, discussing factors that contribute to absenteeism as well as the circumstances that led them to enroll in an alternative setting. We find that students' regular attendance is facilitated by (1) stable housing, (2) a means of transportation to school, (3) feelings of belonging, and (4) flexible supports from staff. Given that two of these pertain to matters beyond the school, we argue for an "expanded accountability," in which the language of "accountability" is broadened to encompass non-educational policymaking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Inconsistent findings on coupled illumination, accumulated noise and task complexity effects on cognitive-motor performance asked for a more comprehensive analysis by focusing on performance dynamics. OBJECTIVE: The aim was to investigate the effects of illumination, accumulated noise, and task complexity on several average and non-average temporal indicators. METHODS: The research was designed as a mixed factorial quasi-experiment including 83 students of transport (n = 42) and psychology (n = 41) at the University of Zagreb. Participants were assigned to designated experimental conditions defined by illumination (40, 280, 3400 lx), and accumulated noise (0% and 50% of the daily exposure limit) levels and all performed 2- and 8-choice reaction time tests. RESULTS: The findings showed negative effects of accumulated noise and task complexity on all performance indicators, while the effect of illumination reached significance only for maximal speed. Significant Illumination x Task complexity and Illumination x Accumulated noise effects were obtained for average efficiency, while significant Accumulated noise x Task complexity effect was observed for average efficiency and maximal speed. CONCLUSIONS: Various indicators of performance dynamics were diversely affected by external factors, thereby suggesting the effects' mechanisms, and accentuating different guidelines for design of workplaces that include these environmental stressors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Brasileira de Prescrição e Fisiologia do Exercício is the property of Instituto Brasileiro de Pesquisa e Ensino em Fisiologia do Exercicio and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Commuting to and from school occupies a large proportion of urban transportation, especially during rush hours. Therefore, investigating the factors that affect students' choice of school transportation and co-promoting active school transportation from the viewpoint of urban planning are important to create an eco-friendly transportation system. This study used data from Shenzhen Household Travel Survey 2016) and developed a comprehensive indicator system to deeply understand the factors that affect children's (primary school students) commuting choices. The results indicate the following. (1) 71% of Shenzhen primary school students walk to and from school, which is much higher than in some developed countries. (2) The distance between home and school, number of intersections on the way, floor area ratio, architectural diversity, whether the motor vehicle and non-vehicle lanes are physically separated, and commercial buildings along the roadside are built environment factors that affect children's choice of school transportation. (3) Age of the student, household income, family size, and ownership of cars and e-bikes are sociodemographic factors that affect children's choice of school transportation. (4) The built environment factors are more significant than the sociodemographic ones. These findings show how upstream policy choices largely determine rates of active travel and inspire policymakers and urban planners in school planning and traffic management to promote active school travel. • 71% of Shenzhen primary school students walk to and from school. • Distance, floor area ratio and intersections affect school transportation choice. • Household size, income and car access affect children's school transport choice. • The built environment factors are more significant than the sociodemographic ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite a growing recognition of the significance of student transportation for promoting equitable school choice, to date, there has been limited understanding of the implementation of school transportation policies, particularly in choice-heavy settings. Moreover, little is known about the challenges associated with managing student transportation in large school districts or how school and district administrators working in distinct contexts respond to these challenges. This brief draws on interview data collected from district administrators, charter school leaders, charter authorizers, and stakeholders in three choice-rich school districts with distinct transportation policies and public transit infrastructures—Detroit, New Orleans, and New York City—to identify the common challenges associated with implementing student transportation policies and administrators' responses to them. The brief includes a discussion of the implications of high transportation costs, logistical complexity, and student safety challenges as well as non-uniform transportation provision and transportation policies for equitable access to charter schools. It ends with a review of some potential policy alternatives that policymakers should consider when designing transportation policies or working to improve existing transportation practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we study the impact on student absenteeism of a large, school-based community crime monitoring program that employed local community members to monitor and report crime on designated city blocks during times when students traveled to and from school. We find that the program resulted in a 0.58 percentage point (8.5 percent) reduction in the elementary school-level absence rate in the years following initial implementation. We discuss and explore potential channels to explain this and believe our results are most consistent with improved neighborhood conditions in the form of reduced crime as an underlying mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Foco (Interdisciplinary Studies Journal) is the property of Revista Foco and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In the wake of China's rapid urbanization and higher education reform, a large number of new urban spaces have emerged, in particular, university towns. When promoting urbanization and stimulating economic growth, the isolation of the university town from the central city has become increasingly apparent. This article defined the islandization of the university town and analyzed it from the perspective of the behavior of the main actors of the university town, the students. Taking Jinan Changqing University Town, Jinan City, China as a case study, this article used a survey questionnaire and interviews to investigate the patterns of university town students' off-campus behavior. By constructing an analysis framework, this article discussed the characterization, influencing factors, and formation mechanism of the islandization of the university town. The results indicated that although the daily behavior of students was concentrated mainly in the university town, the student's needs could not be fully satisfied in the university town alone. Therefore, students needed to go to the central area of Jinan City, China for important activities, which included studying, working part-time jobs, shopping, recreation, and medical treatment. The main mode of transportation for the students that left the university town was public transport, which was considered inconvenient and costly in terms of time. Student behavioral characteristics indicated that the university town was spatially separated from society, which is a significant feature of islandization. The imperfection in the spatial factors was the basis of the islandization of the university town, which further triggered the behavior and psychological isolation of the students. In addition, spatial, student behavior, and psychological factors interacted and reinforced each other, which eventually formed a vicious circle and led to the increased isolation of the university town. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Retos: Nuevas Perspectivas de Educación Física, Deporte y Recreación is the property of Federacion Espanola de Asociaciones de Docentes de Educacion Fisica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Quality education and training of seafarers contribute to safer, secure, environmentally friendly, and world-class trade shipping. Competent seafarers also attract better job opportunities and onboard promotion. Authentic assessment demonstrates competence to achieve the necessary knowledge, understanding, and skills of all professional courses. This descriptive-correlational study is aimed at determining the students' authentic assessment and academic performance on professional courses and their relationships as the basis for the formulation of an intervention program. The self-administered structured questionnaire on Authentic Assessment aligned with The Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping (STCW) Code, as amended, was utilized for data gathering. The computer-processed statistics were means, frequency, and rank for descriptive analysis; and Pearson Product-Moment Correlation/Pearson r for inferential analysis. The Alpha level is set at.05. The study found out that marine transportation students excel academically in a highly acceptable manner. They consistently outperform in authentic assessments on professional courses. There is a significant relationship between the authentic assessment results and the academic performance on professional courses, a manifestation that the level of difficulty of the authentic assessment is the same as academic performance on professional courses. The intervention program was formulated to improve students' authentic assessment and academic performance on professional courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing difficulty in providing student transportation, school districts have increased their collaboration with public transit providers to offer access to public transportation through free or reduced-fare programs. One such program was implemented in Florida, allowing any K–12 student in Leon County to ride the bus for free at any time to any destination. This paper applies the synthetic control method to estimate the impact of this program on school attendance and chronic absenteeism. Surprisingly, our results show negative impacts on both attendance and absenteeism outcomes, highlighting the potential unintended consequences of programs with no restriction on student ridership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Elementary Education / Revija za Elementarno Izobraževanje is the property of University of Maribor, Faculty of Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This document is a correction notice for an article titled "Thermal analysis of 3D Darcy-Forchheimer flow of SWCNT-MWCNT/sodium alginate on Riga plate" published in the Journal of Thermal Analysis & Calorimetry. The correction addresses an error in the author's name, where "Usman" was incorrectly written as "Imran Usman." Additionally, the author's affiliation, "School of Qilu Transportation, Shandong University, Jinan, China," was missing. The original article has been corrected. The publisher, Springer Nature, remains neutral regarding jurisdictional claims and institutional affiliations. [Extracted from the article]

Background: Although the active transportation (AT) indicator received an F grade on the 2016 US Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth, this AT assessment excluded public transportation. An objective of the Built Environment and Active Play Study was to assess youth AT, including public transportation, among Washington, DC area children in relation to parental perceptions of neighborhood built environment (BE) variables. Methods: Questionnaires were mailed to 2000 parents of children aged 7-12 years. AT to school (ATS) was assessed with the question: "In an average school week, how many days does your child use each of the following ways to get to and from school? (a) Walk; (b) Bike; (c) Car; (d) Bus or Metro." Parental perceived BE data were obtained through questionnaire items, and logistic regression was conducted to determine if BE variables were associated with youth ATS. Results: The sample included 144 children (50% female; average age 9.7 years; 56.3% white; 23.7% African American; 10.4% Asian American). Over 30% used ATS-public transportation 5 days per week, and nearly 13% used ATS-walking daily. Parental perceived BE variables significantly predicted youth ATS-walking and ATS-public transportation. Conclusions: ATS-public transportation is common among Washington, DC area youth, and parental perceptions of BE can significantly predict ATS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay combines an ecological perspective with a mobility justice theoretical framework to reconceptualize the relationship between school transportation and educational access. Authors Sarah Winchell Lenhoff, Jeremy Singer, Kimberly Stokes, James Bear Mahowald, and Sahar Khawaja document the problem of "getting to school" that is at the intersection of students' family, community, and social contexts and how it goes beyond whether there is a reliable mode of physical transportation. Bringing together a historical analysis of the policy landscape and interview data from parents and students in Detroit, they find that school transportation problems reflect the unequal political, social, and economic context in which families navigate enrollment and attendance. They discuss how policy makers can advance mobility justice in school policy by equitably distributing transportation resources, engaging students and parents as experts in developing and communicating transportation policy, and using institutional power to remedy structural barriers to educational access. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The school bus routing problem relates to designing the optimum distribution and collection routes for the school buses serving geographically scattered students and has been the focus of many academics for a long time. In order to meet the tremendous distance and the complex geographic structure, we proposed a method to divide the geographic regions into cliques that contain houses in close proximity to each other. This paper presents the development of a new variant mobile application with a local search algorithm that has been designed to detect routes for school transportation. The proposed system has the following advantages: (1) grouping the students' houses into cliques (clusters), as each clique includes the houses that are close to each other, and a bus is assigned to each group; (2) the ability to determine the route for designated locations, resulting in: (3) more effective use of time and fuel; and (4) integration with the Google API to handle access to map display, data downloading, and Google Maps servers. The application is implemented on the Android operating system since Android is currently widely utilized. A survey was conducted to evaluate the proposed application. The findings from the reviews were impressive and substantial. The proposed solution to the school bus routing problem can be applied to solve problems related to the vehicles of institutions and organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The provision of optimised routing solutions is a priority to generate maximum decreases in the cost of school transport. The aim of this study was to achieve a reduction in existing costs while processing the fare-free transportation of eligible pupil commuters (PCs). The optimisation problem comprised the minimisation of vehicle costs and the total travel time for all pupils. To solve this problem, a heuristic algorithm was developed based on route planning dependent on changes in schools' starting times so that vehicles can visit a greater number of schools within one route. The algorithm was applied to a municipality in the EU region and the optimised system has been successfully running for 5 years. This study differs from others as it deploys a two-mechanism procedure: the identification of eligible PCs prior to assigning them to bus stops and determining the optimal assignment of school start/finish times for selected schools simultaneously with optimal driving routes and vehicle fleet. After application of the optimisation to the municipality, the total daily mileage of all vehicles was almost 300 km less than the previous un-optimised situation, while the total number of vehicles was reduced by almost 50%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Retos: Nuevas Perspectivas de Educación Física, Deporte y Recreación is the property of Federacion Espanola de Asociaciones de Docentes de Educacion Fisica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of ECCOM: Educação, Cultura e Comunicação is the property of ECCOM: Educacao, Cultura e Comunicacao and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)