Active Paths to Sustainability: Unlocking Mobility in University Students |Chapter 4 | Scientific Research, New Technologies and Applications Vol. 6

 

Aims: This study aimed at investigating behavioral aspects related to sustainability mobility practices in a specific target group, known for being physically active: the students of the Physical Education and Sport Science Department in Serres, Northern Greece. This work aimed to shed light on gender differences in weekly physical activity levels, as well as gender’s respective effect on mobility practices.

 

Study Design: It was a cross-sectional study, using a tested research instrument, grounded on the Theory of Planned Behaviour within a specific population group.

 

Place and Duration of Study: Data were collected during the first semester of the academic year before the outburst of the COVID-19 pandemic and the restrictive measures imposed by governments. University students filled in the questionnaires once during a typical academic week.

 

Methodology: 259 students from first year to nearing graduation from the Department of Physical Education and Sport Science in Serres, a medium-sized Greek city which is active in mobility issues, filled in a questionnaire, based on Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior and Godin–Shephard Leisure Time Physical Activity Questionnaire for reporting physical activity weekly uptake.

 

Results: The results confirmed higher levels of physical activity in male students, although their attitude towards physical activity was less positive than that of their female classmates. Further positive attitudes in women were recorded towards sustainable mobility choices, although the evidence demonstrated a similar gap between the answers of the two genders. Car possession was higher in men, whereas car purchase intention was slightly lower in women, who had a lower income in general. Moreover, income impacted gender mobility preferences.

 

Conclusion: University student mobility research calls for behavioral approaches to ground relevant interventions. Recommendations can be guided by students’ sports preferences and can be gender-sensitive, taking income into account. The findings could provide implications for policy and practice, informing strategies for promoting sustainable mobility among students.

 

 

Author(s) Details

 

Foteini Mikiki

International Hellenic University, Greece.

Ermioni Katartzi

Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece.

Andreas Oikonomou

School of Pedagogical and Technological Education, Greece.

 

 

Please see the book here:- https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/srnta/v6/2061

 

Anthropological Explorations of Gender, Identity, and Economics | Chapter 1 | Anthropological Explorations of Gender, Identity, and Economics

 Defined as “Four-field” research endeavor encompassing biological, linguistic, material, and socio-cultural dimensions of the “Human career”, anthropology is clearly the scientific study of humankind in all its components. There are however variations from one academic tradition to the other but the most comprehensive version of anthropological practice is the one developed in the United States of America. In other academic traditions with a few exceptions, the biological dimension – Biological Anthropology [that focuses on the human body] – and the material culture one – Anthropological archaeology – [with a focus on human-made things] are separated from socio-cultural anthropology – [the study of contemporary societies and cultures through participant observation] and linguistic anthropology [the study of language as communication medium].

Students training in anthropology thus varies according academic traditions Despite the tortuous history of teaching anthropology in mainland China, Xiamen university has strived since the re-opening of its anthropology and ethnology department in 2005, with varying success to develop a Four-field approach to the discipline. As conceived and implemented since 2020, the “Writing Anthropology” seminar was designed as an intensive and fast paced graduate students training to craft high standard research papers in English. In the 2022-2023 academic year instalment of Xiamen university “Writing Anthropology” seminar, “Exploration” was the core theme of the work carried out. Graduate students were required to pick a research topic totally different from their planned master and doctoral investigations. They were asked to take risks, to move away from their “research comfort zone” and dare explore new research topics. Exploration in its strict sense refers to entering the unknown. This voyage in the unknown has to be predicated on coherent theoretical orientations and sound methodologies. It was what the seminar sessions combining weekly written and oral presentations were made of. The result of that intensive research semester is presented in this book entitled Anthropological Explorations in Gender, Identity, and Economics. The conducted investigations are arranged in 3 rubrics or parts: gender issues; identity and belonging; and finally, economics.

Author(s) Details:

Augustin F. C. Holl,
Distinguished Professor, Department of Anthropology and Ethnology, School of Sociology and Anthropology, Director of the Africa Research Center at Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, People’s Republic of China.

Please see the link here: https://stm.bookpi.org/AEGIE/article/view/13568