Using Activity Diaries: Some Methodological Lessons

Descriptions of how people use time can tell us much about quality of life, social and economic well-being, and patterns of leisure, work, travel, and communication. Self-administered activity diaries are one of the main methods available for capturing data on time use. This paper discusses some of...

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Main Author: Tracey Crosbie
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Athabasca University Press 2006-01-01
Series:Journal of Research Practice
Subjects:
Online Access:http://jrp.icaap.org/content/v2.1/crosbie.html
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author Tracey Crosbie
author_facet Tracey Crosbie
author_sort Tracey Crosbie
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description Descriptions of how people use time can tell us much about quality of life, social and economic well-being, and patterns of leisure, work, travel, and communication. Self-administered activity diaries are one of the main methods available for capturing data on time use. This paper discusses some of the methodological issues surrounding the use of self-administered activity diaries as a tool for capturing data on communication and travel activities. Its main concern is to highlight the lessons learnt from the use of self-administered activity diaries as a supplementary method of data collection in a recent study. This study assessed whether different levels of access to, and use of, Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) enable different paces of life in different communities, and how this process might be contributing to social and spatial polarisation. The insights gained into how activity dairies can be successfully applied are relevant to research within any discipline where this method of data collection is being considered.
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spelling doaj.art-ef46dcc63cd74a93884a2347222c254d2022-12-21T23:33:53ZengAthabasca University PressJournal of Research Practice1712-851X2006-01-0121D1Using Activity Diaries: Some Methodological LessonsTracey CrosbieDescriptions of how people use time can tell us much about quality of life, social and economic well-being, and patterns of leisure, work, travel, and communication. Self-administered activity diaries are one of the main methods available for capturing data on time use. This paper discusses some of the methodological issues surrounding the use of self-administered activity diaries as a tool for capturing data on communication and travel activities. Its main concern is to highlight the lessons learnt from the use of self-administered activity diaries as a supplementary method of data collection in a recent study. This study assessed whether different levels of access to, and use of, Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) enable different paces of life in different communities, and how this process might be contributing to social and spatial polarisation. The insights gained into how activity dairies can be successfully applied are relevant to research within any discipline where this method of data collection is being considered.http://jrp.icaap.org/content/v2.1/crosbie.htmlresearch methodsactivity diariestime usetime allocationICTs
spellingShingle Tracey Crosbie
Using Activity Diaries: Some Methodological Lessons
Journal of Research Practice
research methods
activity diaries
time use
time allocation
ICTs
title Using Activity Diaries: Some Methodological Lessons
title_full Using Activity Diaries: Some Methodological Lessons
title_fullStr Using Activity Diaries: Some Methodological Lessons
title_full_unstemmed Using Activity Diaries: Some Methodological Lessons
title_short Using Activity Diaries: Some Methodological Lessons
title_sort using activity diaries some methodological lessons
topic research methods
activity diaries
time use
time allocation
ICTs
url http://jrp.icaap.org/content/v2.1/crosbie.html
work_keys_str_mv AT traceycrosbie usingactivitydiariessomemethodologicallessons