Currently, attendance issues are prevalent in academic settings. When students do not attend school, it has an effect on their education and on the community at large. This study looked at the issue of truancy at the Early Years level and focused on studying one possible solution: the Walking School Bus Program. In this program two Community Outreach Workers were hired to walk students with attendance issues to school on a daily basis. A qualitative study was completed to obtain the perspectives of key individuals involved in the Walking School Bus program.

Currently, attendance issues are prevalent in academic settings. When students do not attend school, it has an effect on their education and on the community at large. This study looked at the issue of truancy at the Early Years level and focused on studying one possible solution: the Walking School Bus Program. In this program two Community Outreach Workers were hired to walk students with attendance issues to school on a daily basis. A qualitative study was completed to obtain the perspectives of key individuals involved in the Walking School Bus program.

During the 2010-11 school year, KFL&A Public Health partnered with Lancaster Drive Public School (LDPS) to develop and implement a Walking School Bus Program (WSBP). This study was designed as a pre-test post-test study to explore parental concerns and attitudes towards their children’s use of active transportation and the WSBP, perceptions of the social and built environment, and how these may be associated with parental willingness to allow their children to participate in the WSBP. However, a low response rate did not allow comparisons of pre- and post-test results. Therefore, this thesis uses the pre-test data as a pilot study to evaluate the methods, tools, and feasibility of a future, multi-school pre-and post-test study. As part of the pilot study, a questionnaire was developed and administered to 298 households. Parental willingness was assessed using one item rated on a 10-point scale. Concerns and attitudes were assessed from similar scales developed for this study. Social environment perceptions were measured using a neighbourhood collective efficacy scale and a name generator/interpreter social network instrument. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were conducted to assess the association of parental willingness with the aforementioned variables. Fifty parents participated, which may have contributed to low power to detect associations. However, even with low power, attitudes of parents whose children had already used active transportation to school were found to be significantly associated with willingness when contrasting high and low levels (OR: 1.61, 95%CI: 1.02-2.54). This association did not appear in parents of children who used inactive transportation. Significant correlations were seen between parental willingness and compositional aspects of parental social network ties, i.e., having ties to individuals of diverse ages (τ=0.271) and having ties to individuals with children of the same age as their own (τ=0.267). Qualitative analyses of concerns revealed sub-themes related to the traffic, the need to cross a street, and the need for a suitable place to walk and bicycle, as well as concerns about the WSBP. KFL&A Public Health, LDPS, and Kingston’s City Traffic Engineers can use these results to address barriers to the WSBP and to advocate for improvements in the community infrastructure. / Thesis (Master, Kinesiology & Health Studies) -- Queen's University, 2011-07-20 17:17:15.828

Grande parte da comunidade internacional defende que as cidades devem ser sustentáveis, inclusivas, seguras e resilientes. Neste sentido, tem sido desenvolvidas diversas iniciativas que, normalmente, envolvem revitalização de áreas urbanas, implementação de infraestrutura e criação de políticas de incentivo ao transporte não motorizado, como o deslocamento a pé. Apesar das evidentes vantagens deste tipo de transporte, como o baixo impacto ambiental e a prática de exercícios físicos, a vulnerabilidade dos pedestres é maior devido a sua exposição direta à fatores externos. Essa realidade se agrava quando são consideradas regiões de trânsito no entorno de escolas, colégios ou outras instituições educacionais, àreas estratégicas por atrairem novos usuários para a rede local de tráfego, incluindo as crianças. Esta dissertação trata sobre projeto de um aplicativo para promover o deslocamento de pedestres em áreas escolares, estimulando o transporte ativo entre crianças e adolescentes. A metodologia de projeto utilizada para a criação do sistema teve como base teórica e prática o design de interação, e considerou paralelamente as pesquisas específicas sobre o deslocamento de pedestres em áreas escolares obtidas na revisão teórica. A usabilidade e o potencial do sistema para o incentivo ao transporte ativo foram validados através de testes com um protótipo semi-funcional e de discussões orientadas em grupo focado. Os resultados obtidos nos testes foram majoritariamente favoráveis à adesão ao uso do aplicativo e ao seu potencial para incentivo à realização de deslocamentos a pé no trajeto casa/escola, de acordo com diversos critérios de avaliação fundamentados na revisão teórica. / A large part of the international community argues that cities must be sustainable, inclusive, secure and resilient. In this sense, several initiatives have been developed that involve revitalization of urban areas, implementation of infrastructure and creation of policies to encourage non-motorized transportation, such as walking. Despite the obvious advantages of this type of transport, such as low environmental impact and physical exercise, the vulnerability of pedestrians is greater due to their direct exposure to external factors. This reality worsens when they are considered transit regions around schools, colleges or other educational institutions, strategic areas for attracting new users to the local traffic network, including children. This thesis deals with the design of a mobile application to promote the movement of pedestrians in school areas to stimulating active transportation among children and adolescents. The project methodology used for the creation of the system was based on interaction design, and considered the specific research on the pedestrian movement in school areas carried out in the theoretical revision. The results obtained in the tests were mostly positive according to several evaluation criteria based on the theoretical review, indicating the adherence to the use of the proposed mobile app and showing its potential as an incentive children and teenagers walking.

Grande parte da comunidade internacional defende que as cidades devem ser sustentáveis, inclusivas, seguras e resilientes. Neste sentido, tem sido desenvolvidas diversas iniciativas que, normalmente, envolvem revitalização de áreas urbanas, implementação de infraestrutura e criação de políticas de incentivo ao transporte não motorizado, como o deslocamento a pé. Apesar das evidentes vantagens deste tipo de transporte, como o baixo impacto ambiental e a prática de exercícios físicos, a vulnerabilidade dos pedestres é maior devido a sua exposição direta à fatores externos. Essa realidade se agrava quando são consideradas regiões de trânsito no entorno de escolas, colégios ou outras instituições educacionais, àreas estratégicas por atrairem novos usuários para a rede local de tráfego, incluindo as crianças. Esta dissertação trata sobre projeto de um aplicativo para promover o deslocamento de pedestres em áreas escolares, estimulando o transporte ativo entre crianças e adolescentes. A metodologia de projeto utilizada para a criação do sistema teve como base teórica e prática o design de interação, e considerou paralelamente as pesquisas específicas sobre o deslocamento de pedestres em áreas escolares obtidas na revisão teórica. A usabilidade e o potencial do sistema para o incentivo ao transporte ativo foram validados através de testes com um protótipo semi-funcional e de discussões orientadas em grupo focado. Os resultados obtidos nos testes foram majoritariamente favoráveis à adesão ao uso do aplicativo e ao seu potencial para incentivo à realização de deslocamentos a pé no trajeto casa/escola, de acordo com diversos critérios de avaliação fundamentados na revisão teórica. / A large part of the international community argues that cities must be sustainable, inclusive, secure and resilient. In this sense, several initiatives have been developed that involve revitalization of urban areas, implementation of infrastructure and creation of policies to encourage non-motorized transportation, such as walking. Despite the obvious advantages of this type of transport, such as low environmental impact and physical exercise, the vulnerability of pedestrians is greater due to their direct exposure to external factors. This reality worsens when they are considered transit regions around schools, colleges or other educational institutions, strategic areas for attracting new users to the local traffic network, including children. This thesis deals with the design of a mobile application to promote the movement of pedestrians in school areas to stimulating active transportation among children and adolescents. The project methodology used for the creation of the system was based on interaction design, and considered the specific research on the pedestrian movement in school areas carried out in the theoretical revision. The results obtained in the tests were mostly positive according to several evaluation criteria based on the theoretical review, indicating the adherence to the use of the proposed mobile app and showing its potential as an incentive children and teenagers walking.

Grande parte da comunidade internacional defende que as cidades devem ser sustentáveis, inclusivas, seguras e resilientes. Neste sentido, tem sido desenvolvidas diversas iniciativas que, normalmente, envolvem revitalização de áreas urbanas, implementação de infraestrutura e criação de políticas de incentivo ao transporte não motorizado, como o deslocamento a pé. Apesar das evidentes vantagens deste tipo de transporte, como o baixo impacto ambiental e a prática de exercícios físicos, a vulnerabilidade dos pedestres é maior devido a sua exposição direta à fatores externos. Essa realidade se agrava quando são consideradas regiões de trânsito no entorno de escolas, colégios ou outras instituições educacionais, àreas estratégicas por atrairem novos usuários para a rede local de tráfego, incluindo as crianças. Esta dissertação trata sobre projeto de um aplicativo para promover o deslocamento de pedestres em áreas escolares, estimulando o transporte ativo entre crianças e adolescentes. A metodologia de projeto utilizada para a criação do sistema teve como base teórica e prática o design de interação, e considerou paralelamente as pesquisas específicas sobre o deslocamento de pedestres em áreas escolares obtidas na revisão teórica. A usabilidade e o potencial do sistema para o incentivo ao transporte ativo foram validados através de testes com um protótipo semi-funcional e de discussões orientadas em grupo focado. Os resultados obtidos nos testes foram majoritariamente favoráveis à adesão ao uso do aplicativo e ao seu potencial para incentivo à realização de deslocamentos a pé no trajeto casa/escola, de acordo com diversos critérios de avaliação fundamentados na revisão teórica. / A large part of the international community argues that cities must be sustainable, inclusive, secure and resilient. In this sense, several initiatives have been developed that involve revitalization of urban areas, implementation of infrastructure and creation of policies to encourage non-motorized transportation, such as walking. Despite the obvious advantages of this type of transport, such as low environmental impact and physical exercise, the vulnerability of pedestrians is greater due to their direct exposure to external factors. This reality worsens when they are considered transit regions around schools, colleges or other educational institutions, strategic areas for attracting new users to the local traffic network, including children. This thesis deals with the design of a mobile application to promote the movement of pedestrians in school areas to stimulating active transportation among children and adolescents. The project methodology used for the creation of the system was based on interaction design, and considered the specific research on the pedestrian movement in school areas carried out in the theoretical revision. The results obtained in the tests were mostly positive according to several evaluation criteria based on the theoretical review, indicating the adherence to the use of the proposed mobile app and showing its potential as an incentive children and teenagers walking.

Contribution d'organismes subventionnaires: Le Conseil de recherche en sciences humaines du Canada (CRSH), Sport Canada et l’Initiative de recherche sur la participation au sport, l’Institut de recherche en santé publique (IRSPUM)

L’écomobilité en milieu scolaire, étudiée à travers le Pédibus ou walking school bus, système de ramassage pédestre organisant bénévolement le trajet domicile-école à l’initiative des parents, peut questionner l’éducation relative à l’environnement (ERE) et l’éducation au développement durable (EDD). S’inscrivant à la suite des travaux de Lucie Sauvé, Sandrine Depeau, Alain Legardez, Angela Barthes, Marie-Louise Martinez et Jean-Marc Lange, les analyses ont cherché à montrer comment la pratique du Pédibus peut devenir un enjeu éducatif qui touche aux finalités de l’éducation : « construire des savoirs », « construire une identité de sujet et de citoyen », « devenir une personne responsable évoluant au sein d’une communauté ». Le point de départ a été d’interroger la façon dont le discours véhiculé par les textes officiels, dont les grandes déclarations onusiennes fondatrices du développement durable (DD), voient en l’école le lieu fondamental de la formation des esprits conscients et responsables. A ces discours prônant une réforme par le haut, la thèse a mis en regard les discours des acteurs du Pédibus en Métropole Rouen Normandie, recueillis entre 2016 et 2018, afin de montrer comment s’articule un discours écocitoyen, inscrit dans un processus de réforme par la base et par l’action quotidienne. S’inspirant des études sur l’écocitoyenneté, en particulier des travaux de Marie-Louise Martinez, l’analyse interlocutive des discours a mis en évidence la constitution d’une conscience écocitoyenne et l’émergence d’une personne écoresponsable, inscrite dans son milieu urbain et naturel, ainsi que dans son milieu social (rue, quartier, ville). Par ailleurs, cette thèse constitue la première monographie universitaire consacrée au Pédibus, incluant un état de la recherche inspiré de divers pays et de domaines différents (sciences de l’éducation, médecine, sociologie, géographie) concernés par le « car-à-pattes », à l’origine des principaux types de discours portant sur un objet complexe (discours sécuritaire, hygiéniste, sociétal, environnemental). Conformément à la nature même d’un processus d’apprentissage dénué de curriculum et dont la compréhension peut s’inspirer des travaux de l’éco-ontogénèse dans l’esprit de Tom Berryman, les relations entre apprentissage non formel et apprentissage formel ont été interrogées, d’autant que les élèves concernés relèvent du « cycle des observations » et du « cycle de consolidation » de l’école primaire. Sur ces bases, la thèse a formulé des pistes de remédiation, susceptibles de renforcer la synergie entre éducation non formelle et éducation formelle d’une part, et de contribuer à la multiplication et à la pérennisation des lignes de Pédibus d’autre part, très engagée depuis des décennies dans les « déplacements doux », pourrait servir de modèle dans le domaine de l’écomobilité. / Eco-mobility in connection with schools, studied through the Walking School Bus, a pedestrian collecting system that voluntarily organizes the home-school journey for young pupils at the initiative of some parents, can raise questions about environmental education (EE) and education for sustainable development (ESD). Following the work of Lucie Sauvé, Sandrine Depeau, Alain Legardez, Angela Barthes, Marie-Louise Martinez and Jean-Marc Lange, the analyses sought to show how the practice of the Walking School Bus can become an educational issue that touches on the aims of education: "building knowledge", "building an identity as a subject and a citizen", "becoming a responsible person evolving within a community". The starting point was to question how the discourse conveyed by official texts, including the major UN declarations founding sustainable development (SD), see schools as the fundamental place for the training of conscious and responsible minds. To these discourses advocating a reform from above, the thesis compared the discourses of the actors of the Walking School Bus in Rouen Normandy Metropolis, collected between 2016 and 2018, in order to show how an eco-citizen discourse is articulated, as part of a reform process from the bottom up, and through daily action. Inspired by studies on eco-citizenship, in particular the work of Marie-Louise Martinez, the interlocutory analysis of the discourses highlighted the creation of an eco-citizen awareness and the emergence of an eco-responsible person, inscribed in its urban and natural environment, as well as in its social environment (street, neighborhood, city). Moreover, this thesis is the first university monograph devoted to the Walking School Bus, including a state of research inspired by various countries and different fields of science (educational sciences, medicine, sociology, geography) concerned by the WSB, at the origin of the main types of discourse on a complex subject (safety, hygienist, societal, environmental discourse). In accordance with the very nature of a curriculum-free learning process whose understanding can be inspired by the work of eco-ontogenesis in Tom Berryman's mind, the relationship between non-formal and formal learning was questioned, especially because the pupils concerned fall within the "observation cycle" and the "consolidation cycle" of primary school. On this basis, the thesis formulated remedial approaches that could strengthen the synergy between non-formal and formal education on the one hand, and contribute to the multiplication and sustainability of the Walking School Bus lines on the other hand. Rouen Normandy Metropolis, which has been very much involved for decades in "soft mobility", could serve as a model in the field of eco-mobility.