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Education for sustainable development in rural communities: Parents' perceptions of children's willingness-to-study and learning difficulties associated with school transport in Ukerewe Island, Tanzania
By Stephen Agyeman
Quality education and school transport are prerequisites for children to achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs), but they are disproportionately inadequate in rural communities. This study explores 350 parents' perceptions of the willingness-to-study (WTS) and learning difficulties of schoolchildren in Ukerewe Island (Tanzania) based on the mode of transport. The study surveyed 17 rural islands to build structural equation models based on Health Belief Model. The results showed that schoolchildren in Ukerewe Island have learning difficulties caused by the quality of their mode of transport to and from school. The children's learning difficulties were positively associated with perceived severity, self-efficacy, and vulnerability. The perceived benefits of canoe transport supported the WTS. However, WTS could not buffer learning difficulties. Interestingly, male and female caregivers differ regarding the perceived WTS and their children's learning difficulties. This study contributes mitigation measures relevant to education and transport planning toward realizing SDGs 3, 4, and 10. © 2023 ERP Environment and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Schoolchildren's inland water transport adoption barriers in Tanzania: Health belief model application
By Stephen Agyeman
In small islands of low and middle-income countries, schoolchildren rely on canoe transport to access education. Although this is associated with rampant drowning and barriers to access schooling, there is little empirical evidence in the drowning prevention and rural transport literature. Consequently, there are high school dropouts among children in rural islands. This study investigates inland water transport barriers and the factors influencing the adoption of canoes in rural areas. A household survey of 350 parents/caregivers was conducted in 17 small islands of Ukerewe District, Tanzania. Based on the Health Belief Model, structural equation modeling was performed to measure how perceived susceptibility, severity/risk, self-efficacy, and barriers can affect intentions to use inland water transport using perceived benefits as a moderator. Overall, schoolchildren ride canoes without the aid of adults, exposing them to negative health effects such as injury, tiredness, and drowning. Notably, only perceived severity had statistically significant effects on the adoption of water transport to school when mediated by the perceived benefits. These findings imply that the provision of safer transport modes and policies aimed at reducing the perceived risks can enhance inland water transport adoption and reduce the rate of child drowning and school dropouts in rural islands. © 2022 Elsevier Ltd
Determinants and dynamics of active school travel in Ghanaian children
By Stephen Agyeman
Introduction: Involvements of children in physical activities in urban Ghana is declining in walking/cycling to school (CTS). However, these sustainable and active modes have health, psychosocial and environmental benefits. With limited studies on children transport and health from Africa, this study aimed to determine factors associated with school travel modes in the context of Sunyani, Bono, Ghana. Methods: The study adopted a descriptive survey design and multistage sample methods of data collection involving 460 school children aged 9 to 18. Principal component analysis and two multinomial logistic regression models were performed on obtained data. Results: The study found six latent factors influencing active travel to and from school (ATS). Personal, household-level and travel-related characteristics were significant predictors of school mode choice. ATS prevalence was 85% walking and 12% cycling. CTS was prevalent among boys than girls. 12-14-year-olds and secondary school students preferred CTS while 9-11-year-olds favoured motorised transport to school. While walking was more likely, CTS was less likely among middle school students than primary pupils. Household income, parental car and driving license ownership, and educational background were strongly associated with ATS uptake. School distance and public transport accessibility were significantly associated with increased odds of CTS but the odds decreased with increasing access to school bus services. Car ownership increased cycling odds by 5% and decreased the odds of selecting alternative modes by 34% while walking/cycling odds diminished between 24 and 29% as the number of children increased. The likelihood of sedentary modes utilisation for school increased by 129% among children of tertiary-educated parents. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that walking and cycling to and from school are strongly associated with individual, family and trip characteristics of students and underlying six unobserved determinants which could provide support for resuscitating interventions and engineering measures to make travelling actively safe, sustainable and socially inclusive. © 2021 Elsevier Ltd
Analysis of barriers to perceived service quality in Ghana: Students’ perspectives on bus mobility attributes
By Stephen Agyeman
The quality of bus transport to school and its synergistic effects on school attendance, quality teaching, and learning are best measured using experiences and perceptions of users. The study sought to investigate 43 obstacles to the delivery of quality bus service via 20 selected private schools in the Sunyani Municipality, Ghana. The survey was an exploratory case study which focused on the use of a questionnaire. Survey participants of 403 students were selected to respond, using the probability sampling technique. Descriptive statistics were used to define essential socio-demographic and bus service-related characteristics and their effects on schoolchildren's mobility decision-making as well as academic work. Exploratory factor analysis was used to construct four latent factors which describe obstacles to perceived service quality (PSQ) delivery. The theoretical factor structure of the data was tested using confirmatory factor analysis in AMOSS 23. Simultaneously, path analysis was employed to investigate the direct and indirect effects of barriers to PSQ in the private schools' transport system. The principal component analysis highlighted four constructs as barriers to bus PSQ in the municipality: (1) perceived scheduling and routing barriers, (2) perceived safety and bus attribute barriers, (3) pedestrian and bus stop facilities barriers and (4) efficiency, effectiveness, and equity-related barriers. We recommend that Private School Authorities and Municipal Board of Education adopt policies and draft operational safety and guideline manuals that clarify acceptable bus service delivery benchmarks and performance indicators for schools. © 2020 Elsevier Ltd
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