Solution Tag: Large-scale

User survey at public libraries

Posted on September 12, 2018 by -

Context of research

The first large scale survey among users of public libraries took place in 2004. Over the last one and a half decades, the public library sector underwent substantial changes, among other things because of the increasing influence of the Internet, which redraw the media landscape. Although lending books remains at the core of public libraries, many libraries have reinvented themselves. Nowadays, public libraries are also community centers that host a variety of activities. Membership is no longer a condition to visit a library. The umbrella association of Flemish libraries (VVBAD – “Vlaamse Vereniging voor Bibliotheek, Archief en Documentatie”) ordered a follow-up survey in 2018.

The challenges

The follow-up survey was conducted via MOTUS. The flexibility of this softwareplatform needed to guarantee that:

  • Results are comparable with the survey from 2014;
  • Results are comparable between libraries;
  • The questionnaire was adapted to the changes that libraries underwent; and
  • The recruitment of respondents was expanded beyond members (after all, libraries are, for example, also community centers).

“MOTUS offers the flexibility to ask questions about the unique context of each individual library within the framework of a comparable research design.”

The survey

Between February and June 2018, users – in the broadest sense – of public libraries were invited to participate in the survey. On the central webpage (www.bib2018.be) they selected their own library and completed a general questionnaire as well as a library-specific questionnaire. Every library receives a personalised report. They will use the results to evaluate their functioning and improve it where necessary.

The survey in figures

  • 107 public libraries participated;
  • 61 libraries added personalised questions to the questionnaire;
  • Over 45.000 users had their say;
  • The questionnaire was online for five months;
  • The average completion time of the questionnaire was 28 minutes.

Expert assignment SOGETI

Posted on August 31, 2018 by -

The motivation

In 2017, EUROSTAT instructed consultancy bureau SOGETI to investigate the availability of different tools used for the collecting of data on time-use and consumption patterns. The investigation also includes source that contain partial information (e.g. administrative databases, Apps, sensors, wearables, etc.) and that can be linked to other databases.

The project

This project exists of four stages:

  • An inquiry among EU-memberstates and other international institutes about their expertise in collecting data on time-use and consumption patterns;
  • Create an overview of (administrative) databases, Apps, sensors, wearables, etc., that contain information about time-use and consumption patterns;
  • Draw up an inventory about these tools according to the CSPA guidelines; and
  • Propose several prototypes.

The consortium

The project is led by Hubertus Cloodt (EUROSTAT), Maria Miceli (SOGETI) and Eniel Ninka (SOGETI). The academic partners include Uku Varblane and Siim Espenberg of the University of Tartu (Estland) and Joeri Minnen of thee Vrije Universiteit Brussel and hbits.

“Joeri Minnen (VUB-TOR, hbits) acts as an expert on tools and techniques for time registration.”

The project runs until the end of 2019.

Brussels, or rather not?

Posted on January 5, 2018 by -

Residential context of Brussels

The Brussels population is growing continuously whereas the number of middle class families is diminishes year after year. As a result, the Brussels population impoverishes set-off against the growing economic importance of the Brussels region as part of Belgium. This situation has important financial repercussions for the Brussels region.

Motivational aspects of movers and stayers

To picture the migration of people to the suburbs of the Brussels region we want to investigate on their socio-economic profiles. To draw up these profiles we consider their life cycle, their education and professional interest, their life style, their preferences and housing expectations and their views on the changing social, political and economic circumstances of the Brussels region.

Goal 1: Delphi approach

Most often, studies solely rely on the participation of residents to complete a survey questionnaire on their motives.

“Supported by the MOTUS-software this research relies on the Delphi approach in which a multi-actor, multi-method research setup is considered.”

The multi-actor is covered by incorporating the input from policy makers, persons responsible in the domain of housing on communal and regional level, in the domain of transport, in the domain of education and employment, scientific experts, employers, tenants, house owners and many other.

These actors undergo in a first stage an iterative process of open questioning in which they further precise their vision(s) on the subject based on input from previous rounds. In a next stage these information is used to define a questionnaire to present to 1.000 stayers and movers. In a third phase the outcomes of the data collection is (re)discussed with the above-mentioned experts, and policy recommendations are made.

Goal 2: FUR – Functional Urban Region

Once the Delphi is complete and the study results are discussed by the experts a second research goal is put forward, namely visualising the geographical area in which people spend their daily time travelling, working, buying goods, participate to culture, let their kids take part to social live, … .

“With MOTUS we can visualize the professional and social interactions movers still have with the Brussels region.”

The eminent goal is to get a grip on how these interactions should be valued in costs and benefits both on the individual/household level and on the level of the Brussels region. Our research goal is (a) map the individual FUR’s, and (b) interfere on the motivational and satisfactional level on the interaction with the Brussels region by asking extra questions through the MOTUS-application.

Mapping the context: teachers’ workload

Posted on January 5, 2018 by -

Background

It is the paradox of the teaching profession: a heavy workload and high time pressure versus the idea of short working days and lots of holidays. The discrepancy of what teacher say they are doing and the picture society has about what they think they are doing is persistent. It leads to discussion bout the misconception of the teaching profession and the number of tasks not related to teaching, both in society as well as as in politics.

The assignment

Against the backdrop of the political discussion about the teaching profession, the Minster of Education Hilde Crevits ordered a study, which is aimed at objectively measuring the working time and workload of teacher in primary and secondary education (including special secondary education). On top of that, information on teachers’ working conditions should provide additional context. The MOTUS software platform will be used to collect context-rich behavioural data.

“MOTUS maps the workload and context of teachers: what they do, how much, when, where, with whom, with what sort of technological support, and with what motivation.”

The project

The project period runs from January to April 2018 and participation entails sevensteps:

  1. A media campaign asks all teachers (approx. 155.000) in Flanders to participate in the study.
  2. To participate, teachers submit a valid email address on an informative website hetgrotetijdsonderzoek.be.
  3. MOTUS sends out a confirmation e-mail, that includes a unique username and password, together with an invitation to complete a profile questionnaire on motusresearch.io. This profile questionnaire includes an identifier to be linked with administrative data.
  4. Based on the completed profile questionnaires, teachers will be dispersed over the fieldwork period.
  5. Teachers will be invited to fill in a pre-questionnaire which asks about their demographic characteristics and characteristics of their school and class.
  6. Hereafter teachers start their 7-day time-diary registration.
  7. To finalise their participation, teachers complete a post-questionnaire which asks about the previous registration week.

The results

After data collection and preparation of the datasets, multiple reports will be handed over to the Minister of Education Hilde Crevits and the steering committee, which includes educational umbrella organisations and education unions. When the project ends, teachers will get an overview of their own time registration and a possibility to compare their results with the averages of comparable others, all with guarantee of privacy.