Monday, February 22, 2010

The Limit DOES exist!...kind of...


In every research project, there are limitations that can potentially give skewed results.  The limitations in this project lie in the area of reliability.  In his study on environmental attitudes and actions, Bickman questioned people on their outlook on littering and then observed their behaviors when presented with an opportunity to pick up litter.  He concluded that there was a large gap between attitudes and behaviors (Bickman, 1972).  Because my research consists of student surveys and not observed behaviors, I fall under this conclusion. 

Another reliability issue is the inaccuracy and inflation of self-reported behaviors.  A study on the inaccuracies in self-reports was conducted in the 1980s.  Researchers in this study conducted surveys on energy use and compared them with actual utility bills.  The results attributed inaccuracies to two reasons:  1) the design of the survey, and 2) the desire of participants to give a socially desired response to keep up with the perceived social norm.  In the case of my research, the notion of sustainability is widely known.  Sustainable behavior is desirable is today’s society, but unfortunately, it is not always common.  Reporting behaviors that society desires instead of the reality of personal actions is a common problem among researchers (Warriner, McDougall, & Claxton, 1984).  To obtain accurate self-reports, two things must be accomplished.  The respondent must be able to answer correctly, meaning the survey must be well designed and the appropriate answer is available.  Second, the respondent must be willing to answer correctly and not give in to the social pressure.  Nonetheless, this study concluded that there was not a good reason for the respondents to “systematically distort their response”.  These results are also relevant for daily activities, which applies to my research on daily sustainable behavior (Warriner, McDougall, & Claxton, 1984).


Sample size also a limitation in my research.  While surveying the NSCS offers a controlled and reliable audience, it is a very limited sample of the general student population.  It focus on specific elite group of students and may be more or less likely to perform a behavior based on this affiliation.  

1 comment:

  1. Very good discussion. I have been visiting the University of Florida and I observe some "green" behaviors that are in advance of our school. U of F has long been a bicycle friendly campus and Gainesville a bicycle friendly city. Many faculty and students cycle to work along clearly marked bike lanes and paths. Also, the campus is committed to the LEED process for new construction and one administrator remarked that new building would recieve Platinum rating. U of F could be a good university to include in your study.

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