Explanationofmethod
Forourfinalproject,weelectedtouseasurveyasourquantitativemethodasawayto collectdataontheexperienceNewYorkershavewhilecommutingusingthesubway As planningstudentsinterestedintransitplanningasasubfield,wechosetodevelopaquestionnaire thataskscommutersabouttheirexperiencesusingtheNtraininordertoaddqualitativecolorto afieldthat,moreoftenthannot,reliesonquantitativeanalysistoexaminetrendsordevelop theories.Surveysgenerallyprovideamixed-methodapproachtoresearch,allowingthe researcherstocombinequantitativeandqualitativeinquiriesintoastandardizedandstructured setofquestionsthatcanbegiventoalargegroupofpeopleinordertounderstandtheirattitudes oropinionsaboutsomething.Researchersmustcarefullydevelopbothclosedandopenquestions tocreateaneffectivesurvey,withclosedquestionscoveringquantitativeinformationsuchas demographicdataormultiple-choicequestionsandopenquestionsgivingtherespondentsan opportunitytowritedowntheirthoughtswithlesshandholding.Becausetheyarestandardized, surveyscanbemoreeasilyreplicated,andtheirrelativeeaseofadministrationallowsthe researchertominimizesamplingerrorandbias.Surveysarearelativelycostandtime-effective methodofcollectingdatathatallowsresearchtooccuroverabroadgeography,andtheygreatly complementotherqualitativemethodswhenusedinconsortinordertotriangulateaspecific questionortheory,whichgivesgreatervaliditytothefindings(McGuirkandO’Neill2005; SingletonandStraits2005).Followingupasurveywithanin-depthinterviewwithoneormore oftheparticipants,forexample,couldallowaresearchertodigintocommonlyexpressed attitudesfoundthroughoutthesurveyresults.
Surveys,likeanyqualitativemethod,haveinherentdrawbackstotheiruse,which strengthensthecasetodeploytheminconjunctionwithothertools.Whileitiseasytosenda
surveytoagreaterpopulationwhencomparedtomorelocalmethods,responsequalitycanvary wildlydependingonthequalityofthequestions.Aresearchermayaskthewrongquestion relatedtothetopicandthereforegetbunkdata(SingletonandStraits2005).Openquestions, whereaparticipantcananswerinafreeformfashion,canbesusceptibletoconfusing,leading,or complexwording,allofwhichcouldnegativelyaffectarespondent’sanswers.Additionally, sequencing,format,andlengthcaninfluenceanswers.Forexample,placingcontroversial questionsearlyonmaydiscourageparticipantsfromcompletingthesurvey,sothosetypesof questionsshouldbeplacedclosertotheendratherthanatthebeginning.Ifthesurveyhastoo littlewhitespaceorroomforopenquestions,oristoolong,participantsmaybehesitantto completethesurvey (McGuirkandO’Neill2005).Finally,surveysarenottoolsforlongform datagatheringsuchasanintervieworevenafocusgroup,butinsteadarebestsuitedasgauging theopinionsofarepresentativesampleforaspecificresearchquestion.
Generationofresearchinstrument
OpeningStatement/ConsentRequest
Welcometotheresearchstudy!Weareinterestedinunderstandingyourexperiencewiththe N/WsubwaylineinNewYorkCity.Forthisstudy,youwillbeaskedtoanswersomequestions aboutyourexperiencewiththeN/Wsubwayline.Yourresponseswillbekeptcompletely confidential.Thestudyshouldtakeyouaround20minutestocomplete.Yourparticipationinthis researchisvoluntary Youhavetherighttowithdrawatanypointduringthestudy ThePrincipal Investigatorofthisstudycanbecontactedatalexandros.lefteratos34@myhunter.cuny.eduBy clickingthebuttonbelow,youacknowledge:Yourparticipationinthestudyisvoluntary.Youare 18yearsofage.Youareawarethatyoumaychoosetoterminateyourparticipationatanytime foranyreason.
DemographicQuestions
1. Whatisyouragegroup?
2. Whatisyourgender?
3. InwhichNewYorkCityboroughdoyoureside?
SurveyQuestions
1. Inthissurvey,wearelookingtounderstandyourexperienceasarideroftheNlinethat originatesatDitmarsBlvdinAstoria,QueensandterminatesatConeyIsland-Stillwell AvinConeyIsland,Brooklyn.First,whatisthemosttypicalreasonthatyoutaketheN train?
2. Inthissurvey,wearelookingtounderstandyourexperienceasarideroftheNlinethat originatesatDitmarsBlvdinAstoria,QueensandterminatesatConeyIsland-Stillwell AvinConeyIsland,Brooklyn.First,whatisthemosttypicalreasonthatyoutaketheN train?:Other,pleasespecify:
3. Onaverage,howmanyroundtripsperweekdoyoutakeusingtheNtrain?
4. Onatypicalsinglelegofaroundtrip,howlongdoyouspendonthetrain?
5. WhattimeofdaydoyoumostfrequentlyridetheNtrain?
OpenEndedQuestions
1. Thenextsevenquestionsareopenendedandwillrequireyoutowriteoutyouranswers. Pleasetakeyourtimeandanswereachquestionwith2-3sentences.Thatsaid,ifyouare inclinedtowritemore,pleasedo!Pleasedescribeyouroverallexperiencewhenusingthe Nline.
2. Inyouropinion,howreliableistheNtrainintermsoffrequency?Canyoudescribeany issuesyou’vehadwithdelays?
3. HowsafedoyoufeelwhileridingtheNtrain?Havetherebeenanyincidentsthathave influencedyouropinion?
4. CanyoudescribehowcomfortableyouusuallyfeelwhenridinginasubwaycarontheN train?Pleaseincludedetailsaboutseating,temperature,noise,oranyotherenvironmental factorsthatwouldimpactyourcomfort.
5. HowdoyoufeelaboutthestandardofcleanlinessontheNwhencomparedtoother trainslines?
6. WhatisonethingyouwouldimprovetobettertheexperienceontheNline?Please explain.
7. Wouldyourecommendthistrainlinetoothertravelers,whyorwhynot?
Applicationofmethod/collectionofdata
Dataanalysis
“Memosmaybefreeandflowing;theymaybeshortandstilted-especiallyasyouenter newanalyticalterrain…Wewriteourmemosininformal,unofficiallanguageforpersonaluse.” (Charmaz,2006)Wedecidedtousetheindexingmethodtohelpdevelopourmemoforthis assignment.Eachanswerisputintotheirrespectivecolumnperquestionandtheanswersare furtheranalyzedtofindthecode.Surveysweretakenonlinethroughalink,participants’field settingisunknown.ResponsesweregivenbetweenthedatesofAugust10,2024toAugust12, 2024.TodevelopmycodesIusedthecodingfamilyofTheInteractiveFamily.Theconceptsin thisfamilyareasfollows:interaction,mutualeffects,interdependence,reciprocity,symmetries, andrituals.(Bohm,2004)Thecodeschosenwere Safety, Reliability, Comfortability, and Sanitary “Thisopencodingisdonebyscrutinizingthefieldnote,interview,orotherdocument veryclosely:linebylineorevenwordbyword…Axialcodingcanbepartoftheopencoding processbutitallowstheresearchertofollowaparticularcategoryforawhileasawayoftesting itsrelevance.”(Cope,2003)
Thefirstopenquestion,themajoritycommentedonthepositivesoftheirexperiencesuch asbeingoverallconvenientandreliable.Therearelittlethingsthatcouldmaketheexperience betterbuttheydon’thavemajorcomplaints.Theonesinoppositionpointoutdirectissuesfor examplelackofservice,beingdirty,andoverallnotanenjoyableexperience.Tofurthersimplify theirresponses,goodandnotgoodwereused.Theresultendedwith9outof12havingan overallgoodimpressionofthetrainline.Forthesecondopenquestion,themajoritycommented thetrainisreliableespeciallyduringrushhour.Therearerarecasesthattherearedelaysbuton weekendsserviceisveryslow Tofurthersimplifytheirresponses,reliableornotreliablewere
used.Theresultendedwith10outof12sayingthetrainisreliableingeneral.Inthethird questiontherewasauniversalagreementthatthetrainissafewithanyraremomentswhere participantsfeltindanger Iftherewasaneventofpossibleharm,participantsagreeditcanbe avoided.Weseealargerdivideintheanswersofthefourthquestion.Halfoftheparticipants agreedtheridehassufficientACandseatingisavailableifyouridelongenoughorarriveatthe beginning/endoftheline.Someparticipantsridewithheadphonesthereforenoisewasdivided. Havingseatsandtheconditionofseatsaredifferentsituationsintheparticipants'answers.To furthersimplifytheirresponses,comfortableandnotcomfortablewereused.Theresultended with7outof12feelingcomfortableonthetrain.Therewasastrongagreementseeninthefifth questionaswell.Majorityofparticipantsexplainedtheirrideswereconsideredverycleanwith theexceptionofoneparticipantclaimingotherlinesarecleaner Thereisanemphasisthatthe trainiscleanasinnovisibletrashdespitetheageofthesubwaycars.Participantsagreedinthe majoritythatthislineisbetterthanothertrainlines.Tofurthersimplifytheirresponses,sanitary andnotsanitarywereused.Theresultendedwith10outof12statingthetrainisclean.Thesixth andseventhquestionsdescribewhattheparticipantswanttochangeaboutthetrainlineand whethertheywouldrecommendthislinetoothers.Similartotheresultsfoundinthefirstand secondquestions,participantsurgedformoreserviceandfornewercarswithbetter technologicalfeatures.Allparticipantsagreedtherearenecessarychangesthatwouldimprove theexperienceoverall.Despitetheirconcernsonnecessarychanges,majorityoftheparticipants agreetorecommendthislineevenwithitscurrentnegativesbecauseitcomesalongwithmany positives.Thelineisnotperfectasoneparticipantstatesbutitgetsyoutowhereyouneedtogo.
Interpretationofdataandconclusions
Wechoseasurveyasourqualitativeinstrumentasanopportunitytogaugeattitudes abouttheperceivedqualityofasubwaylinewhichcutsthroughthreeofNewYorkCity’s boroughsbecausewewantedtounderstandiffrequentcommutersonthatlinefeltasthough theirlevelandqualityofservicewasadequate.Astransit-orientedplanningstudents,wedecided toundertakethisprojectinordertoseeifattitudesofcommutersofaparticularlinewere generallypositiveornegative.Inrecentmonths,thebotchedcongestionpricingrolloutand intensediscoursearoundsafetyontransithavepotentiallydamagedcommuters’trustinthe system.Inalargerexperiment,thissurveywouldbeexpandedtomanyifnotalllinesofthe systemwithalargersamplesize,potentiallycombinedwithanotherqualitativemethod,like targetedfocusgroups,tounderstandcommutersintheirownwords,howeverinthismicrocosm, weseethatmostridershaveexpressedfrustrationwiththeirqualityofserviceratherthan personalsecurity,asevidencedbyoneanswergiveninthesurvey,“[t]heNlineisacruel mistress.Youneverknowwhenyou’llgetagreatrideoraterribleone”butotherwisefeltthat theirrideswere“typicallysafe”.
Securityisafactorthathasbeenheavilyscrutinizedbecauseofmediaattentionfocused onthedangerofthesubway,soweweretryingtounderstandifcommutersfeltthatwayabout theirspecificline.Bothofthesepointsofqualityandsafetyhavebeenreflectedinpolitical discoursethathashadtangibleeffectsonhowcommutersexperiencethesubway Forinstance, NewYorkgovernorKathyHochul,deployedthenationalguardtothesubwayinMarchofthis yearinordertocombatcrime,ortheperceptionofcrimeonthesubway.[1]Insurveyingour participants,wesawmorecomplaintsaboutthereliabilityoftheserviceandlackoffrequent servicethanweremadeaboutsafety,andwhilewecannotextrapolatethissurveyouttothe entireline,performingamoretargetedqualitativeanalysismaybeabletocounteractdiscourse
aspublictransitasdangerous.WhiletheMTAdoespublishcrimestatisticsinaquantitative capacity,thosenumbersmaybebetterbackedwithvoicesofthecustomersaspartofa mixed-methodanalysisinordertogiveexperientialweighttothoseperceptions(Wyly2010).
Ultimately,byconductingasurvey,wehopedtogetafeelforthemethodinaqualitative contextandapplyittoasituationthatmoreoftenthannot,isanalyzedmostlywithquantitative tools.Indoingso,welearnedthatasurveycaneasilygleanattitudesaboutaparticularsubject, andtheinclusionofopen-endedquestionsgivestheparticipantstheopportunitytoexpressthose attitudesintheirownwordsratherthanfromapre-generatedsetofchoices.Thismethod, however,isnotwithoutweaknessesbecausetherespondentsarebeholdentoboththequestions placedonthesurveybutalsobytheirattentionspanandtime.Thereisopportunitytoconnect thismethodwithotherqualitativemethods,suchanobservation,wherewewouldfollowa passengertotheirfinaldestinationtogivefurthercolortotheircommute,whetheritwas uneventful,frustrating,unsafe,orsomecombinationthereof. Thatsaid,thismethodallows researcherstostarttheirresearchbysurveyingalargegeographywhilebeingrelatively inexpensive,whichgivestheresearcheragreattooltobetterunderstandtheirsubjects.
Bibliography
● Bohm,Andrea.2004.TheoreticalCoding:TextAnalysisinGroundedTheory.InA CompaniontoQualitativeResearch,eds.UweFlick,ErnstvonKardoff,andInesSteinke, 270-5.ThousandOaks,CA:Sage.
● Charmaz,Kathy 2006.“MemoWriting.”InConstructingGroundedTheory,pgs.72-95. ThousandOaks,CA:SagePublications,Inc.
● Cope,Meghan.2003.CodingTranscriptsandDiaries.InKeyMethodsinGeography, eds.NicholasCliffordandGillValentine.ThousandOaks,CA:Sage.
● Singleton,R.andB.Straits.2005.“ReplicationsUsingtheSameResearchStrategy: CompliancewithoutPressure,”“ReplicationsUsingDifferentResearchStrategies: DeterrentEffectsofArrest,”and“AComparisonoftheFourBasicApproachestoSocial Research.” Approaches to Social Research, 4th Edition,pp.393-401.NewYork,NY: OxfordUniversityPress.
● McGuirk,PaulineandPhillipO’Neill.2005.UsingQuestionnairesinQualitativeHuman Geography Chapter10inHay,pp.147-61
● Wyly,Elvin.2010.“City(squareroot)”in Critical Urban Studies
