from luddite to google documents techie

From Luddite to Google Documents Techie

Professor Peter Tuckel (Sociology)April, 2010

Chapter One: The Setting

Two of the courses that I teach are Introduction to Research Methods and Research Practicum.

Every semester that I teach either of these courses I have my students undertake a research project in which they observe behavior in a public place.

The Setting (Continued)

Some of the projects in the past included:

1) When the Metrocard was first introduced into New York City, the students investigated the number of swipes it took subway patrons to successfully enter thru the turnstiles.

2) Hand-washing in public restrooms


3) Self-bussing in fast-food restaurants.

4) The frequency with which customers in supermarkets use tongs or wax paper to extract items from the bins in the bakery section.

4) Distractions of motorists while driving in New York City

(e.g., putting on make-up, eating, using a cellphone, etc.)


5) The riding behavior of cyclists in New York City

(e.g., stopping at a red light, going the right way

on a street, using a helmet, etc.)

This study was carried out also with students in Professor William Milczarski’s class in the Department of Urban Planning and Affairs.


6) Use of bike lanes by cyclists in New York City

This study was carried out also with students in Professor William Milczarski’s class in the Department of Urban Planning and Affairs.

Chapter Two: The Luddite Years

For these studies, the following methodology was adhered to:

1) Students gathered the data as unobtrusively as possible. Usually they recorded the pertinent data on a paper copy of the code sheet which they had on their possession.

They oftentimes pretended they were reading a newspaper or engaged in some other activity so as not to call attention to themselves while recording the data.

The Luddite Years (Continued)

2) Students then learned how to enter the data in an SPSS spreadsheet. They had to learn how to create variable names, value labels, and how to input the data.

This was a time consuming process and required the instructor to devote at least one class period for this purpose.


3) Students then submitted their individual data sets to the instructor by email (either directly to his email account or thru Hunter Blackboard).

4) The instructor then aggregated each of the student’s data sets into a large data set.


This was always a painstaking process. Frequently students would format the columns incorrectly (either by misspelling the variable names or not using the proper sequencing of the variables). When this occurred, a student’s data set could not be merged with the other data sets.

Chapter Three: Evolving into a Google Documents Techie:

The Setting

This semester’s project is to re-visit the topic of hand washing in public restrooms.

The project is also being undertaken by Professor Milczarsski’s class in the Dept. of Urban Planning and

Affairs.

The research has two primary objectives:

1) to assess whether there has been a change in personal hygiene over the last five years (especially in light of the concern with the flu).

Evolving into a Google Documents Techie:The Setting

2) to determine the availability of necessary supplies (e.g., soap, paper towels or other drying mechanism, and warm water) in public restrooms.

Each student was to visit five sites in a designated zip code in Manhattan and gather the pertinent information. The student was to visit each of the five sites on three different occasions: weekday morning, weekday afternoon or evening, and weekend. Thus, each student was to gather the pertinent information for 15 combinations of sites and visits.

Evolving into a Google Documents Techie:The First Step

Initially the methodology for gathering the data was going to be the conventional one: students would use a paper copy of the code sheets to record the data and try to be as inconspicuous as possible.

Two pitfalls were associated with this approach:1) the code sheets were very lengthy and2) students might feel awkward writing down information in

a public bathroom.

Evolving into a Google Documents Techie:The Second Step

Students then advanced the idea of using their cell phones to help in the data gathering process.

It was initially proposed that students could either call themselves on the cell phone with the pertinent information, text themselves the pertinent information, or use an application such as “notepad” to record the information.

Every student enrolled in the course had a cell phone.

Evolving into a Google Documents Techie:The Third Step

Since the code sheets were in a Word Document format, it was decided to upload the Word Document via the Hunter Blackboad site. This way students with a smart phone could directly download the document into their smart phones and enter the information into the Word Document in the spaces provided.

The Word Document can be seen on the following pages.

• Code Sheet -- Restroom Supplies Project and Handwashing• Visit No. (1, 2, or 3): ____ Place No. (1, 2, 3, 4, or 5): _____• Your name ________________________________________• Your sex (f or m): _____• Your class (SOC 240, Sec. 1, SOC 240, Sec. 2, URBS 311): __________• Month and day of visit: ____________________• Day of week of visit (Monday -- Sunday): ____________________• Zip Code of places for your observations: _______________• Full name of place: ________________________________________• Street address of place: _____________________________________• Type of place (e.g., grocery store, fast-food restaurant, other

restaurant, department store, bar, hotel, book store, other retail outlet, • transportation portal, hospital, library, park, museum, other): • _______________________________________________________• Floor or level of place in which observations were conducted:

________• Hour in which you conducted observation (8-9 am, 9-10 am,• 10-11 am, 11-12 noon, 12-1 pm, 1-2 pm, 2-3 pm, 3-4 pm,• 4-5 pm, 5-6 pm, 6-7 pm): _______________

• Number of sinks: __________• Type of soap (1 = soap dispenser with gel,• 2 = soap dispenser with foam• 3 = hand sanitizer• 4 = bar of soap• 5 = combination of hand sanitizer and gel soap • dispenser• 6 = combination of hand sanitizer and foam soap • dispenser • 7 = combination of hand sanitizer and bar• 8 = other) • • _________________________• Total number of soap dispensers/pumps or hand sanitizers: _________• No. of soap dispensers/pumps or hand sanitizers with soap: _________• Type of soap dispenser/pump (1 = manual, 2 = hands-free,• both): _____________• Type of hand dryer(s) (1 = paper towels• 2 = machine dryer• 3 = both• 4 = other)• ________________• Total number of paper towel dispensers and/or machine dryers: ______• Number of paper towel dispensers with paper towels • (If no paper towel dispensers, put not applicable – na): _____• Type of paper towel dispenser (1 = manual, 2 = hands-free,• 3 = na): _______________________

• Number of machine dryers that work• (If no machine dryers, put not applicable – na): _______ • Type of machine dryer (1 = manual, 2 = hands-free,• 3 = na): ________________________• Total number of faucets that have warm/hot water:

___________• Type of faucets (1 = manual, 2 = hands-free, 3 = other):

_______• After gathering the data on supplies, spend two additional• minutes in the restroom. Count the total number of individuals

who finished using the facilities during the additional two minutes and count the total number of them who exited the restroom without washing their hands. This means not even using water to rinse their hands.

• Total no. of individuals who finished using the facilities during• the additional two minutes: ________• Total no. of individuals who left without washing their hands:• __________• Comments (write down here anything to help explain the

findings or special circumstances):

Evolving into a Google Documents Techie:The Third Step (Continued)

While this approach was superior to the old paper and pencil data gathering method, there were several problems still associated with it.

First, many students did not have a smart cell phone.

Two, students would insert their responses to the Word Document coding sheet in the blank spaces provided. But there were no uniform response categories.

Third, each student would still need to enter his/her data in an SPSS spreadsheet and the instructor would still need to aggregate all the individual student files.

Evolving into a Google Documents Techie:The Fourth Step

Enter Dr. Gina Cherry of ICIT.

She informs Professors Tuckel and Milczarski of the virtues of Google Documents.

Evolving into a Google Documents Techie:The Fourth Step (Continued)

She shows Professors Tuckel and Milczarski how to set up the code sheets with uniform response categories as a Google Document.

The first few variables are shown on the next

three slides.

• my_id

• first_name

• last_name

• sex • female • male

• my_class • SOC 240, Section 1 • SOC 240, Section 2 • URBS 311

• visit_number • 1 • 2 • 3

• place_number • 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5

• month • March • April

• day_of_month

• day_of_week • Monday • Tuesday • Wednesday • Thursday • Friday • Saturday • Sunday

• zip_code_number

• full_name_of_place

• street_address_of_place

• type_of_place • grocery store • fast-food restaurant • other restuarant • department store • bar • hotel • book store • other retail outlet • transportation portal • hospital • library • park • museum • other

• floor_level • below street level • ground floor • first floor • second floor • third floor • fourth floor • fifth floor or higher


There are several advantages of working with a Google Document over other methods.

First, students with a smart phone can download the code sheets (as a Google Document) directly into their phones and record the pertinent data.

Second, for students who do not have a smart phone, they can download the code sheets (as a Google Document) via an email link. They can then transcribe the data (from other data recording venues) into the code sheets.


Third, the students do not have to learn how to input data into an SPSS spreadsheet. The code sheets already have the variable names and response categories laid out.

Fourth, since the code sheets already have the variable names and uniform response categories, there are no errors in inputting the correct “column” names, sequencing of columns in the right order, or misspelling the response categories.


Fifth, the data are easy to fill out. For each of the 15 combinations of visit number and site of observations, each student submits a separate “Google Document” by simply hitting the “submit” button.

Sixth, the documents from all of the students go to a single combined spreadsheet created by Google. Only the instructor (or other parties he/she has designated) have access to this speadsheet. Thus, the data are automatically aggregated in a uniform fashion.


Seventh, the data from the Google Document spreadsheet can then be converted into an Excel file.

The following page illustrates a few entries for three columns of data in an Excel format that was converted from the Google Document spreadsheet.

M&M World 1600 Broadway other

McDonalds 219 West 48th Streetfast-food restaurant

Grand Central Station 87 East 42nd Streettransportation portal

Starbucks 1320 Avenue of the Americas other



T.G.I Fridays 761 7th Avenueother restuarant

Wendy's 447 Lexington Avenuefast-food restaurant

Wendy's 447 Lexington Avenuefast-food restaurant


Finally, the Excel file can easily be converted into an SPSS spreadsheet. Once in SPSS, the data can be subjected to statistical manipulation.