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Student attitudes towards distance learning can affect both the acquisition of knowledge and the motivation to learn. This study explores student attitudes towards the following four topics: (1) technological and environmental impediments towards distance learning, (2) asynchronous versus synchronous course preferences, (3) online versus in-person course preferences, and (4) attitudes towards taking online courses in the future. The findings of the study are based on two anonymous online surveys conducted in the spring and fall of 2020 among students at a large urban public college located in New York City. The study reveals that a significant number of students have unreliable internet and live in homes not conducive for online learning. By a narrow margin, students prefer an asynchronous to a synchronous approach to online learning. Along several dimensions covering different facets of the classroom experience, students prefer in-person courses to online courses. The disparities favoring in-person classes are most noticeable with respect to the ability to concentrate in class sessions, feeling motivated to learn, and developing friendship ties with classmates. Distinctive profiles exist among students who opt for these different teaching modalities. Those students who are more positively disposed towards in-person classes tend to be younger (freshmen or sophomores), those experiencing higher stress levels, and those whose physical arrangements at home are not conducive for learning. Importantly, though, a majority of students say they were inclined towards taking more online course in the future.

This study examines the effect of hypersegregation on turnout in recent elections in Bridgeport, Connecticut and Baltimore, Maryland. A Geographical Information System (GIS) is used to assign to each registered voter in both cities his or her census block group via geocoding. The individual-level voting data are then aggregated up to the block group level and merged with a subset of block group-level 1990 census variables. A set of statistical analyses are next performed to measure the contextual effect of the racial composition of surrounding areas on voter turnout at the block group level. The results show that after controlling for income, racially homogeneous block groups (Black or non-black) situated in surrounding areas that mirror their own racial composition have significantly higher levels of political participation than corresponding block groups situated in surrounding areas that do not reflect their racial composition., Residential segregation has been an enduring feature of American cities. In the early part of this century, segregation took the form of a patchwork of local ethnic neighborhoods made up […]

Sociologically speaking, what kind of place is the subway? If urbanism is defined as the experience of being surrounded by strangers, then the subway is a quintessentially urban space. But social scientists remain polarized in their views of this space, alternately describing the subway as an antisocial environment, a liminal "non-place", or a space of multicultural contact. In this paper, we describe the social life of the subway, analyzing an original data-set compiled through detailed observations of the behavior of more than 4,000 passengers on the New York City subway system. We use logistic regression to model the factors that influence how passengers direct their gaze and configure their bodies while riding mass transit, and interpret our results with the help of "subway diaries" kept by 18 research subjects over the course of a week. Our findings help to reconcile conflicting images of social interaction in crowded transportation spaces: the subway is a "fourth place": a utilitarian space in which context-specific norms serve to flatten social distinctions, allowing a passive form of social contact constrained by the presence and prevalence of other passengers in the subway car. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reviews research concerning the nature of the relationship between cancer and suicide and considers its implications on the rational suicide movement. Findings do not indicate a higher incidence of suicide among cancer patients, questioning the rational suicide position. (JAC)

Results of evaluation research studies, even those that are meticulously designed and carefully executed, often are not implemented. This article examines some of the critical factors that mediate between the carrying out of evaluation research and the utilization of findings. To illustrate these factors, two case studies are analyzed. (Author/EGS)

This research links the quality of respondents' participation in focus groups as judged by moderators with an array of respondents' background characteristics. This array includes: previous experience with focus groups; attitudes towards and motivation for attendance; age, sex, employment status, level of education; and different measures of civic involvement. The findings show that respondents who place less emphasis on the monetary incentive as a reason for attendance, who are better educated and who have a stronger civic orientation are judged by moderators to be more invested in the research process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2000, the number of emergency department visits and hospital admissions for children who have sustained a fall from a skateboard has undergone a noticeable decline. One possible explanation for this decline is that children today lead a more sedentary lifestyle and are not as engaged in outdoor physical activities as were children in previous generations. The profile of patients injured in skateboarding-related accidents has also changed since 2000. The percent minority, percent residents of large metropolitan areas, and percent who incur an injury on a street or highway have all increased during this time period. Data based on observations of riders in skateboard parks indicate that the overwhelming majority do not wear protective gear such as helmets, elbow/knee pads, or wrist guards, and that a sizable segment of riders compound their risk of injury by using headphones or earbuds when performing maneuvers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study is to document the incidence of falls from playground equipment in the United States over time and to provide a detailed profile of the individuals injured in playground falls using several state and national databases. During the past decade, there has been a steep decline in the number of injuries treated in emergency departments caused by falls from playground equipment in the United States. Males, children between the ages of 5 to 9 years, and individuals from lower economic strata are overrepresented among those suffering an injury. Falls from monkey bars result in the greatest number of injuries (52%). Schools/day care centers and recreation areas each account for approximately 40% of injuries. The incidence of injuries occurring at home playgrounds has declined sharply in recent years. Fracture of the upper limb is the type of injury most often associated with a fall from playground equipment (43%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To investigate both the Walk ScoreTM and a self-reported measure of neighborhood walkability (“Perceived Neighborhood Walkability”) as estimators of transport and recreational walking among Americans. Methods: The study is based upon a survey of a nationally-representative sample of 1224 American adults. The survey gauged walking for both transport and recreation and included a self-reported measure of neighborhood walkability and each respondent's Walk ScoreTM. Binary logistic and linear regression analyses were performed on the data. Results: The Walk ScoreTM is associated with walking for transport, but not recreational walking nor total walking. Perceived Neighborhood Walkability is associated with transport, recreational and total walking. Conclusions: Perceived Neighborhood Walkability captures the experiential nature of walking more than the Walk ScoreTM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses whether people having answering machines or leaving a message improve response rates in telephone surveys in the U.S. The number of owners with answering machines is considered a threat to telephone survey research and lowers the response rates on telephone survey. In a survey conducted, three quarters of households yielded a response disposition on the answering machine. In comparison, only 56 percent of the numbers producing "no answer" response disposition on the first call were reached at the end of the calling time.

Focuses on the challenges posed by new telephone technologies to telephone surveyors. Compromise to the integrity of telephone samples; Demographic profile of Caller ID subscribers or answering machine owners; Frequency with which telephone technology users screen their calls; Users' attitudes towards telephone survey participation.

The article examines the decline in the response rate of telephone surveys due to the proliferation of telephone sales pitches and the use of the answering machine to screen incoming calls in the U.S. The authors examine the public's general orientation toward telephone survey participation and construct a profile of individuals who are likely to be the most and least willing to participate in a nationwide survey. It is critical to assess the public's overall level of willingness to be able to establish a baseline to measure the success of efforts aimed at reversing the trend of declining response rates. Strategies specifically tailored to these individuals which might overcome their resistance may be designed through identifying the characteristics of the reluctant participants.

The article discusses about focus groups in relation to marketing research, pointing out its significance in the solicitations of opinions of participants about consumer products and services. The author stresses that marketing researchers need to ask participants about their attitudes toward the focus group experience. By doing so, market researchers can gain greater insight into what factors contribute to a successful focus group. To further illustrate his contentions, the author presented the telephone survey of 622 individuals who recently attended a focus group, and who were consequently asked to examine their attitudes about the focus group experience.

Two telephone surveys conducted with 673 respondents who had participated in a focus group reveal that the principal reason for attendance at groups is the honorarium paid to attendees. In addition to the honorarium, nonmonetary factors (particularly, the opportunity to offer opinions to company representatives) are important stimuli for attendance. Respondents who emphasize the importance of the monetary incentive to the exclusion of other, nontangible factors as a reason for attendance tend to be less committed to the research and might he excluded from participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]