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Please take part in an important liveaboard survey!


Dave_P

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Hello good people of the Canalworld forums.

 

I am a liveaboard boater, MSc student and Birmingham University and occasional poster to these forums.

 

I am studying liveaboard boaters for my MSc Environmental Health dissertation. My study includes health, safety, education, employment prospects, lifestyle choices and boaters' own perceptions of life afloat.

 

I am looking for as many people as possible to take part in a survey I am doing for my dissertation. The only rule is that you must live on a boat.

 

The survey is completely confidential - even I won't know who you are, so you can be as honest as you like with your answers.

 

The online link to the survey is: My link http://www.smart-survey.co.uk/v.asp?i=53788ocqnl

 

If you would prefer to do the survey face-to-face then I'm moored in Birmingham usually but will be going down to Stratford-on-avon for a week or two towards the end of june so I'd be more than happy to meet with people.

 

Please, please, please please, try to find time to do the survey, it should only take about 10 minutes and it might even be fun - you never know! Also feel free to share the link with any other liveaboard boaters you know.

 

If I come away with any significant findings, I will be sharing them with BW, CaRT, RBOA etc so hopefully some benefit will come of it.

 

Kind Regards to all,

 

Dave.

 

Nb Beau, Gas Street Basin, Birmingham.

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I'll have a look... Bit disconcerted to see that the first question in the totally confidential survey was 'what is your first name' though!

 

Could you explain the reasoning behind the questions? Childhood illnesses, immunisation dates, medications? What are you trying to establish as a result of the survey? Interested.

Edited by Starcoaster
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Guest wanted

So, just done the survey, maybe it would be better described as a health questionnaire? What is it that you actually want from the findings?

 

PS. I lied about my name! :o

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The answer to question 1 (your first name) is optional. It doesn't mind if you leave it blank! The survey ought to say this in my opinion.

 

My main concern about it would be non-residential boaters (or any random people in fact) completing the form. I'm not a liveaboard so I didn't answer the questions, but I was tempted to fill in the first page of answers in order to get to see the rest of the questions.... this thread has piqued my curiosity but not everyone is as honourable as meee :D

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Hello good people of the Canalworld forums.

 

 

I am studying liveaboard boaters for my MSc Environmental Health dissertation. My study includes health, safety, education, employment prospects, lifestyle choices and boaters' own perceptions of life afloat.

 

Dave.

 

Nb Beau, Gas Street Basin, Birmingham.

 

I have answered as best I can, but it does seem a rather odd survey. There was lots about health, most of it almost unanswerable as it was about my youth, a long long time ago. I don't recall anything about education, Employment was simply "is it more difficult to get a job if you live on a boat?", lifestyle choice were things like have I ever taken drugs, drink or smoke. I don't think it will give you much idea of my perceptions of life afloat.

 

I'm sorry, but I think this is a poorly conceived questionnaire.

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The answer to question 1 (your first name) is optional. It doesn't mind if you leave it blank! The survey ought to say this in my opinion.

 

My main concern about it would be non-residential boaters (or any random people in fact) completing the form. I'm not a liveaboard so I didn't answer the questions, but I was tempted to fill in the first page of answers in order to get to see the rest of the questions.... this thread has piqued my curiosity but not everyone is as honourable as meee :D

If you want to see all the survey, You do not have to answer the questions which require text, just type in any letter and it will accept that as an answer. One disconcerting thing though, it remembers you if you come out and go back in again.

Edited by David Schweizer
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Thanks for the feedback so far, and massive thanks to those who have done the survey - I owe all of you a beer!

 

Yes, health and safety issues are a big part of the survey because that was the original intention. However, my university supervisor (who is not a boater) insisted I included some other issues too. As far as confidentiality goes, I can assure everyone that it is impossible for me to know who you are, unless you tell me. It asks for a first name to give me a bit of help in organising the responses. I'm not sure how a first name would tell me much anyway (unless you have a very unusual first name!) Feel free to make up a wacky first name if you want. Don't worry too much if you can't remember details from years ago, just put what you think is best. I'm looking for general trends and these sorts of surveys are not an exact science by any stretch. If anyone wants to have a nose through the whole survey out of interest, just make it clear somewhere that you're not answering for real or i'll end up using your data!

 

Tam & Di - Don't worry that some of the questions didn't seem to apply to you. For example - the fact that you don't drink is just as relevant as any other answer. Say there was an unfounded perception that all boaters were drunks? Your data would help to dispel that myth!

 

Starcoaster - My study is in response to a government commissioned review called 'Fair Society, Healthy Lives'. This review proposed a number of markers for determining health inequalities. I am looking at certain aspects of that review and finding out whether the needs of boaters were appropriately considered and whether the experiences of boaters differ significantly from the experiences of land-lubbers. I hope this makes sense of some aspects of the survey. Each question was carefully developed and tested before I was happy enough with it. I still have some reservations about some aspects of it and inevitably there are some compromises on length and wording but nothing which will prevent any significant outcomes from emerging - I hope.

 

Thanks again,

 

Dave.

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That's very kind of you. How can I redeem this offer?

 

Knock on my door in Gas Street Basin (nb Beau), say "I did your survey". I promise a beer (tasty home-brew) to anyone who does this. Wear a mask though, if you wish to preserve your anonymity! If I'm out, try again later.

 

I can't say fairer than that, can I?

 

Right now, I need to get back to revising - I have an exam tomorrow morning. eeek!

 

Dave.

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sorry to say but its a poorly thought out survey, doesn't even skim the surface of the subject you are trying to cover

personally i would start again along the lines of:

 

personal hygeine:

how difficult is it to find suitable water points/elsan disposal

do you have a shower on board

do you have hot water on board

do you have running water (from a tank) or just rely on cans

 

Personal safety

I moor close to others for security

I moor in a secure boatyard

I moor on a towpath

I am sometimes afraid when tied up away from others

 

employment

i find it difficult to gain work because of no fixed address

i find many employers won't employ boat dwellers

i never have problems (over & above the normal) finding employment

 

Medical

I find the damp environment affects my health

i never have medical problems

I have problems seeing a doctor

i often visit hospital about my health

 

 

just some ideas that may tell you more about the subject you have chosen.

 

very few have drug issues (probably less than the general populus) in my experience

i have done it based on my previous boat living as currently not boating.

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Thanks for the feedback so far, and massive thanks to those who have done the survey - I owe all of you a beer!

 

Yes, health and safety issues are a big part of the survey because that was the original intention. However, my university supervisor (who is not a boater) insisted I included some other issues too. As far as confidentiality goes, I can assure everyone that it is impossible for me to know who you are, unless you tell me. It asks for a first name to give me a bit of help in organising the responses. I'm not sure how a first name would tell me much anyway (unless you have a very unusual first name!) Feel free to make up a wacky first name if you want. Don't worry too much if you can't remember details from years ago, just put what you think is best. I'm looking for general trends and these sorts of surveys are not an exact science by any stretch. If anyone wants to have a nose through the whole survey out of interest, just make it clear somewhere that you're not answering for real or i'll end up using your data!

 

Tam & Di - Don't worry that some of the questions didn't seem to apply to you. For example - the fact that you don't drink is just as relevant as any other answer. Say there was an unfounded perception that all boaters were drunks? Your data would help to dispel that myth!

 

Starcoaster - My study is in response to a government commissioned review called 'Fair Society, Healthy Lives'. This review proposed a number of markers for determining health inequalities. I am looking at certain aspects of that review and finding out whether the needs of boaters were appropriately considered and whether the experiences of boaters differ significantly from the experiences of land-lubbers. I hope this makes sense of some aspects of the survey. Each question was carefully developed and tested before I was happy enough with it. I still have some reservations about some aspects of it and inevitably there are some compromises on length and wording but nothing which will prevent any significant outcomes from emerging - I hope.

 

Thanks again,

 

Dave.

 

As I see it one of the problem with your survey is that unless you conduct a comparable survey with a similar group of people not living on boats, the results will be of limited (if any) value. Perhaps if you were assigned an academic tutor instead of a " University supervisor" they would have already thought of that..

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As I see it one of the problem with your survey is that unless you conduct a comparable survey with a similar group of people not living on boats, the results will be of limited (if any) value. Perhaps if you were assigned an academic tutor instead of a " University supervisor" they would have already thought of that..

'Supervisor' is an appropriate term for an academic overseeing a MSc dissertation David - it is a role I have fulfilled on many occasions. A Masters dissertation is generally a relatively limited piece of research, intended more to demonstrate the student's research skills than to provide shattering new insights into the subject, so it is not odd not to have a control group in this instance. I am sure that Dave will be setting out the limitations of his research in his Introduction.

 

Dave, I can't complete your survey (or indeed pass an opinion on its design) at presnt as I am having awful internet access difficulties but I will look at it as soon as I can.

 

It might perhaps be interesting for people to be able to see your proposal, if it's not to long, or at least an abstract.

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sorry to say but its a poorly thought out survey, doesn't even skim the surface of the subject you are trying to cover

personally i would start again along the lines of:

 

personal hygeine:

how difficult is it to find suitable water points/elsan disposal

do you have a shower on board

do you have hot water on board

do you have running water (from a tank) or just rely on cans

 

Personal safety

I moor close to others for security

I moor in a secure boatyard

I moor on a towpath

I am sometimes afraid when tied up away from others

 

employment

i find it difficult to gain work because of no fixed address

i find many employers won't employ boat dwellers

i never have problems (over & above the normal) finding employment

 

Medical

I find the damp environment affects my health

i never have medical problems

I have problems seeing a doctor

i often visit hospital about my health

 

 

just some ideas that may tell you more about the subject you have chosen.

 

very few have drug issues (probably less than the general populus) in my experience

i have done it based on my previous boat living as currently not boating.

 

Thanks for the suggestions but there are good reasons why the questions are worded as they are and leading questions such as you have suggested would go down very poorly with the academic staff who will be marking it.

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'Supervisor' is an appropriate term for an academic overseeing a MSc dissertation David - it is a role I have fulfilled on many occasions. A Masters dissertation is generally a relatively limited piece of research, intended more to demonstrate the student's research skills than to provide shattering new insights into the subject, so it is not odd not to have a control group in this instance. I am sure that Dave will be setting out the limitations of his research in his Introduction.

 

Dave, I can't complete your survey (or indeed pass an opinion on its design) at presnt as I am having awful internet access difficulties but I will look at it as soon as I can.

 

It might perhaps be interesting for people to be able to see your proposal, if it's not to long, or at least an abstract.

 

Well said Chertsey - thanks. I'm slightly surprised that people are assuming that there's no control group but obviously I wouldn't be asking for contributors for the control amongst liveaboarders. In this case the questions have often been chosen to mirror data which is already available for the general public. Having said that, there are numerous limitations with this study, as with every study. If I wanted to drill down into every aspect of the subject, the questionnaire would take 6 hours to complete and I would get no responses apart from a very, very skewed sample of people who really, really love doing questionnaires. Not very useful! However, if others wish the investigate factors which I have chosen to ignore, go for it! It's a woefully under researched subject and I'm sure there's plenty of room for others to get involved.

 

I could have posted up my initial proposal but it's around 3500 words long and various aspects of the dissertation have been modified somewhat since then. I also think it might be counter-productive to have 100s of different critical analyses of it at this stage since I have been getting responses for some time now from other sources and again, everyone has their own ideas of what I should be asking. I should be able to put the abstract up when I've finished.

 

Dave

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'Supervisor' is an appropriate term for an academic overseeing a MSc dissertation David - it is a role I have fulfilled on many occasions. A Masters dissertation is generally a relatively limited piece of research, intended more to demonstrate the student's research skills than to provide shattering new insights into the subject, so it is not odd not to have a control group in this instance. I am sure that Dave will be setting out the limitations of his research in his Introduction.

 

Dave, I can't complete your survey (or indeed pass an opinion on its design) at presnt as I am having awful internet access difficulties but I will look at it as soon as I can.

 

It might perhaps be interesting for people to be able to see your proposal, if it's not to long, or at least an abstract.

Some Universities (or University departments) clearly have lower expectations than others, if my Daughter's (Exeter), and her partner's (Oxford) dissertations are anything to go by.

Edited by David Schweizer
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I should be able to put the abstract up when I've finished.

 

Why don't you just give a copy to everyone who pops round for a sample of homebrew and see how many pages per pint they get through before dribbling all over the paperwork mumbling "I bluddy luv you, Dave!"

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Why don't you just give a copy to everyone who pops round for a sample of homebrew and see how many pages per pint they get through before dribbling all over the paperwork mumbling "I bluddy luv you, Dave!"

 

Sometimes this forum let's it self down with requests such as this...nit picking over stuff does us no favours.

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Sometimes this forum let's it self down with requests such as this...nit picking over stuff does us no favours.

No Martin, our friend Dave is taking the easy way out by trying to conduct an unverifiable survey over the internet. What he should be doing is tramping the towpath and conducting his survey by interview, with people who he can demonstrate actually live on boats, that is what a serious academic researcher would do. Believe me, I have done it in the days before computers, and it is slow and hard work.

Edited by David Schweizer
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No Martin, our friend Dave is taking the easy way out by trying to conduct an unverifiable survey over the internet. What he should be doing is tramping the towpath and conducting his survey by interview, with people who he can demonstrate actually live on boats, that is what a serious academic researcher would do. Believe me, I have done it in the days before computers, and it is slow and hard work.

 

Sorry David - is he not just 'tramping a virtual towpath'?

 

ed to add - I've done it the old way too BTW....

Edited by MJG
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No Martin, our friend Dave is taking the easy way out by trying to conduct an unverifiable survey over the internet. What he should be doing is tramping the towpath and conducting his survey by interview, with people who he can demonstrate actually live on boats, that is what a serious academic researcher would do. Believe me, I have done it in the days before computers, and it is slow and hard work.

 

David - And tramping the towpath is what i've been doing for the last three months, from Birmingham to Llangollen. However, it does no harm to look for data in more than one way, so I came on here. Interestingly, lots of 'serious academic researchers' (of whom i'm not one) collect data online. It's fine, provided you recognise the potential limitations when writing up.

 

I'm not sure why you're repeatedly making assumptions that I haven't done things which I have done? You could have asked about the various other ways in which I have been collecting data rather than making unfounded accusations that I'm taking the easy way out?

 

I don't want to start an argument though, I was simply asking if people could take part in this survey, I had no idea it would be so controversial!

 

Dave.

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Sorry David - is he not just 'tramping a virtual towpath'?

 

ed to add - I've done it the old way too BTW....

Well yes, but how can he prove that the response group meets his research criteria? I completed the survey (albeit with uninteligble answers) in order to read through the document. Anyone could complete it and Dave would not have a clue whether it was a genuimne response or not. If that is acceptable to Birmingham University, their standards have certainly slipped since my student days.

Edited by David Schweizer
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Well yes, but how can he prove that the response group meets his research criteria? I completed the survey (albeit with uninteligble answers) in order to read through the document. Anyone could complete it and Dave would not have a clue whether it was a genuimne response or not. If that is acceptable to Birmingham University, their standards have certainly slipped since my student days.

 

Because there is no real difference between someone he would visit on a boat who claimed to be a live-aboard and someone on here claiming to be the same....

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No Martin, our friend Dave is taking the easy way out by trying to conduct an unverifiable survey over the internet. What he should be doing is tramping the towpath and conducting his survey by interview, with people who he can demonstrate actually live on boats, that is what a serious academic researcher would do. Believe me, I have done it in the days before computers, and it is slow and hard work.

Sorry to disagree with you again David but online survey sites are an effective and completely acceptable way of conducting this kind of research. If he were to tramp the towpath he would not reach nearly so many people, and would not be able to assure them of confidentiality. I am not sure what you mean by 'unverifiable'; a towpath survey would be even more so, but that is where academic integrity comes in. What sort of survey would be 'verifiable' in your terms, I wonder? I would also be surprised if academic standards were lower at Brimingham than at Exeter or even Oxford (although teaching methods are likely to differ at the latter). Birmingham is a very reputable institution.

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Well yes, but how can he prove that the response group meets his research criteria? I completed the survey (albeit with uninteligble answers) in order to read through the document. Anyone could complete it and Dave would not have a clue whether it was a genuimne response or not. If that is acceptable to Birmingham University, their standards have certainly slipped since my student days.

 

David - although you are right in what you say, there are still issues with 'tramping the towpath' as people could still pretend to be liveaboarders when they weren't, just as they could online. Or are you saying that people are inherently dishonest online? Equally, when face-to-face with people, they may be more reticent to be honest about their health issues or lifestyle choices which would actually make the online results more accurate. There may be a few people who seek to subvert the results but I will discuss that in my analysis. Ultimately a questionnaire is a game of trust because in either situation I am relying on people to be truthful.

 

Hopefully that explains my position.

 

Dave

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