Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 12, 2025
11:21
Methodology for Establishing a Community-Wide Life Laboratory for Capturing Unobtrusive and Continuous Remote Activity and Health Data
Published on: July 27, 2018
8.2K
Changing mobility practices. Can meta-ethnography inform transferable and policy-relevant theory?
Cornelia Guell1, David Ogilvie2, Judith Green3
1European Centre for Environment and Human Health, University of Exeter Medical School, Penryn, UK; Wellcome Centre for Cultures and Environments of Health, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.
Social Science & Medicine (1982)
|October 19, 2023
Summary
Social practice theories offer insights into transport system changes. A meta-ethnography synthesis reveals that changing ingrained mobility habits, alongside infrastructure, is key to healthier transport systems.
Area of Science:
- Social Sciences
- Transport Studies
- Public Health
Background:
- Social practice theories offer potential for understanding transport system shifts.
- Existing evidence primarily stems from small-scale qualitative studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize qualitative evidence on mobility practices using meta-ethnography.
- To develop transferable theory for informing transport intervention planning.
Main Methods:
- Meta-ethnography informed by a Bourdieusian approach to practice.
- Synthesis of qualitative evidence on mobility practices within a single country.
Main Results:
- Identified three constructs: mobility practices shaped by habitus, capital, and fields; influence of infrastructure and social structures; and multi-scalar, multi-temporal practice changes.
- Interpreted findings as a storyline: mobility systems are complex, with non-linear intervention outcomes.
- Infrastructure changes are necessary but insufficient for systemic change.
Conclusions:
- Achieving healthier transport systems requires altering ingrained habits (habitus) to align with desired practices within specific social and material contexts.
- Interventions must address power relations that enable or constrain mobility practice changes.
- Meta-ethnography is effective for integrating qualitative data to inform policy.
Related Concept Videos
01:42Schemas
11.6K
A schema is a mental construct consisting of a cluster or collection of related concepts (Bartlett, 1932). There are many different types of schemata, and they all have one thing in common: schemata are a method of organizing information that allows the brain to work more efficiently. When a schema is activated, the brain makes immediate assumptions about the person or object being observed.
11.6K
01:26Marcia's Theory of Identity Status
138
James Marcia's identity status model provides a framework for understanding how adolescents navigate identity formation through varying degrees of exploration and commitment. Marcia's model builds on Erik Erikson's theories of psychosocial development, focusing specifically on how adolescents reconcile individual aspirations with societal expectations. His model describes identity formation as a dynamic process where adolescents move between different states depending on their level...
138
01:26Metacognition
174
Metacognition is a conscious process where individuals are aware of their cognitive and executive processes, such as planning before solving a problem or self-monitoring during reading. For instance, a writer may need help with composing a piece. The situation involves a writer who is working on a piece of writing, but while doing so, they realize that something is missing. They notice that their characters lack depth or details. This realization occurs because the writer is reflecting on their...
174
02:30Naturalistic Observations
15.5K
If you want to understand how behavior occurs, one of the best ways to gain information is to simply observe the behavior in its natural context. However, people might change their behavior in unexpected ways if they know they are being observed. How do researchers obtain accurate information when people tend to hide their natural behavior? As an example, imagine that your professor asks everyone in your class to raise their hand if they always wash their hands after using the restroom. Chances...
15.5K
00:52Social Proof
27.7K
Social proof is a form of persuasion based on comparison and conformity. People compare their behavior and actions to what others are doing and will change to conform to do what their peers do.
27.7K
01:16Models, Theories, and Laws
5.4K
Scientists frequently use models to help them comprehend a specific collection of phenomena. In physics, a model is a condensed version of a physical system that is too complex to study thoroughly. One such example is the light wave model; unlike water waves, light waves are typically invisible to us. Nonetheless, it is helpful to think of light as being composed of waves, since investigations show that light behaves like water waves. Since it is impossible to visually see what is genuinely...
5.4K