1(b) Identifying

behaviour patterns

Figure 1. Researching when and where people litter is important for finding the right solution (Black, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Get the facts!

With many situations, it is possible to gather information about people’s behaviour over time. This information reveals patterns and trends that we can use to create better solutions to a problem.

Consider the Practice Activity example about student tardiness from the Stage 1 Investigation overview. If students are late to school only on Tuesdays and Thursdays, this could indicate different causes for the tardiness than if students are late every day, or only on Wednesdays. So, simple behaviour fact-gathering and recording over time is an important step in the investigating process.

One of the most important tools for this is to track and record a behaviour, incident, or observation over time. To do this, it is best to use a spreadsheet so that the data can be put into graph format to help reveal the patterns. There is a Spreadsheet tool below with some tips on how to use one. You would need to:

Identify the behaviour, incident, or observation you want to track and record

Be very careful to select the right variable to measure. This is not always easy. For example, if you want to measure student tardiness, you need to consider whether you want to simply measure whether students are late, or whether you want to measure how many minutes they are late (or both). You would need to consider which year groups to measure. There might be other considerations. In fact, gathering data on multiple variables and putting them together on a graph can reveal some important insights and help with triangulation to get better research findings.

Determine an appropriate time period to track and record the behaviour

Carefully consider how long you need to measure the behaviour, incident or observation to get the data you need. Again, with the tardiness example, would one week of data be enough? Two weeks? Two months? You need enough time for patterns and trends to emerge. This also applies to a situation where you are using data that has already been gathered by someone else.

A second way of gathering data over time could be through visual imagery. Photographs or video, especially time-lapse video, can sometimes be a better way of recording behaviour, incidents, or observations over time or at a particular time. Video, like the time-lapse video of a street seating area below, can be particularly good for mapping people’s movements and use of a space. It may also be possible to combine photographs / video and graphs. If photographs / video are used to record behaviour over time, it is very important that they are time-stamped to ensure an accurate record is kept. It is best to gather the photographs / video together in some kind of digital filing system, backed-up regularly in case that system fails. There is a Video tool in the resources below.

A third way of gathering data on behaviour where an open space is involved is through Stationary Activity Mapping, listed in the Tools section below. With this tool, you can observe what people are doing in a particular space, both through physical mapping and keeping a tally of activities. This can help you understand how people use a space, which is important if you are interested in changing how people interact with their built and natural environments. You can find even more tools for understanding people’s interaction with space, if that is your focus, on the Gehl Architects Tools site.

Finally, it is important to do some secondary research on the behaviour you are researching too. This can help you to put your own observations into a bigger context. For example, it could be that the information you gather through your observations is similar to what other researchers have found in their investigations, so that you can feel confident in the validity of your data. Or it could be that what you observe is very different from what other researchers have found. This could indicate that you need to evaluate your techniques, or it could be that there is a reason why your data differs that can give you some important insights about your specific situation. As you research, make sure to use only reliable sources of information (check with an adult if you have doubts). It is also important to take notes on your sources and/or to make an annotated bibliography to keep track of the information and where it came from. There is a Cornell Note taking tool and an Annotated Bibliography tool for you below.

Practice Activity

Consider Figure 1 at the top of the page, the example of litter in a forest. If you wanted to identify behaviour over time:

What behaviour(s) would you track? Why?
How often would you track it? Why?
How long would you track it? Why?
If you have time, open a spreadsheet and plan the layout of rows and columns you would need to track your data.
Explain why it is important to think carefully about what behaviour you are tracking and the timing and length of your observations.

Project Activity

Consider the problem or need you want to investigate. Start considering which behaviours you could identify and track:

What behaviour(s) would you track? Why?
How often would you track it? Why?
How long would you track it? Why?
If you have time, open a spreadsheet and plan the layout of rows and columns you would need to track your data.
Explain why it is important to think carefully about what behaviour you are tracking and the timing and length of your observations.
Is there another format (besides spreadsheet) for gathering the data that could be appropriate? Explain.

Examples in different contexts

Reducing plastic in the household

Primary research (waste was collected every day, counted once per week, for minimum four weeks):

Count numbers of pieces of plastic waste in total
Classifying plastic waste (origin or contents) and then count pieces in each classification
Measuring total weight (or volume, though could be more difficult) of plastic waste

Secondary research:

Regional / national / global data on plastic use / waste in households
Compare personal household data with regional / national and/or global data
News articles or research papers on changes in plastic waste over time and predictions of plastic waste volumes in coming years

Mitigating CO2 emissions in the school

Primary research:

Data on electricity and heating oil use in the school was collected for the past five years since the school opened. The figures were then converted to CO₂ kg equivalents.
A survey was sent to the school community to determine transportation methods for coming to and from school and the distances involved. This information was also converted into CO₂ kg equivalents to quantify behaviour patterns related to transportation.

Secondary research:

Regional / national / global data on CO₂ emissions
Comparing emissions of school stakeholders to regional / national and/or global data

News articles or research papers on changes in CO₂ emissions over time and predictions for coming years

Informing people with Down syndrome about social distancing during a pandemic

Primary research:

Online survey sent out to 20 people with Down syndrome to be filled out alone, or with the help of a family member. The purpose of the survey was to ask them what they already know about social distancing, how easy/difficult it is to practice it and how their behaviour patterns have changed, so that they are compliant with regulations.

Secondary research:

News channels and social media: looking at how information is shared with the public, specifically about behaviour patterns in the public and measures for changing behaviour during the pandemic.
Press releases and government announcements (live press conferences)