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View Full Version : Help with Research Study: Seeking 2016 Thru Hikers



hikenow
01-25-2016, 12:21
Hello Whiteblaze community! I first want to thank the entire community for everything that I have learned in preparing for my 2016 thru hike. February 18th is almost here and I'm extremely excited to get started. I also come asking for some help with a research project my colleague and I are doing along with my adventure. We are both psychologists at Shenandoah University located in Virginia (I'm a clinical psychologist, he is a cognitive psychologists). Please see the official announcement below and the link to the survey. THANK YOU!! - Rodney

We are conducting a large survey study to examine how thru-hiking impacts individuals in terms of their personality, stress and depression symptoms, and skills in recognizing the emotions of others. Participation in this survey study would involve completing several short surveys at two different times: once prior to thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail and once after thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail. We have carefully designed procedures to limit the amount of time and effort needed for participation, and estimate that you will only need to devote approximately 30 minutes to complete the surveys each time. We hope to gain valuable insight into the benefits of embarking on a thru-hike experience. As an incentive for your participation, all participants of this study will be placed in a raffle for a chance to win one of four $100.00 REI gift certificates.


You must be at least 18 years old to participate and the study. All of the survey questions will be administered on-line and all of your responses will be kept confidential. If you are interested in participating in this study, please go to the following link for more information and to complete the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/AT_Prehike_Survey
(http://www.surveymonkey.com/r/AT_Prehike_Survey)

Please feel free to contact either of the researchers listed below if you have any questions or concerns:

Dr. Rodney Bragdon (AT thru-hiking class of 2016) can be reached by email at [email protected] ([email protected]) or by telephone at (540) 409-1975. Dr. Bragdon will be hiking the AT as part of this research project beginning in February 2016, so his availability will be limited.

Dr. Mark Chan can be reached by email at [email protected] ([email protected]) or by telephone at (540) 545-7284.

Kookork
01-25-2016, 12:46
I wish you a resourceful research/study. Why this survey is limited to Appalachian trail? What about PCT and CDT and some other trails? By adding other long trails you can even compare the impact of a thru hike on individuals among different trails.

hikenow
01-25-2016, 13:12
Great point! We limited to the AT mainly due to changing methodology over the course of designing the study. At first, we thought we may be able to have research assistants actually located at Springer and Harpers Ferry during popular start dates. We should have thought of expanding when we had to change to an online survey administration method.

Kookork
01-25-2016, 13:53
Great point! We limited to the AT mainly due to changing methodology over the course of designing the study. At first, we thought we may be able to have research assistants actually located at Springer and Harpers Ferry during popular start dates. We should have thought of expanding when we had to change to an online survey administration method.

I completely understand the methodology and restrictions of a survey/research since I have done it before when I was a medical doctor but don't let these issues entangle you and your great research. The issue with your original method was/is that hiker in Springer possibly are not quite in the same mood of let's say when they have not started their hike.( there is an adrenaline rush of some sort at the very beginning of the trail for many that can and will influence your survey). That "Rush" subsides in couple of days .

AT and PCT are two different popular long trail with two different subgroup of individuals/hikers attempting them.For instance PCT offers ample sun exposure that IMHO has a meaningful influence on hiker's mood while AT does not offer as much sun. PCTers are generally more into their second long distance hike( many have done AT before).

hikenow
01-25-2016, 21:36
Excellent points Kookork! I agree that looking at the different long trails would be beneficial and interesting. A lot of other research questions could be addressed as well. Thanks for the input and ideas!

Traveler
01-26-2016, 07:24
I have seen claims of research from surveys for many years, but rarely see where they end up being published. Certainly there is a repository of this research information somewhere, but I've no clue where as those asking for this stuff rarely return with the published results.

hikenow
01-26-2016, 09:56
I have seen claims of research from surveys for many years, but rarely see where they end up being published. Certainly there is a repository of this research information somewhere, but I've no clue where as those asking for this stuff rarely return with the published results.

Hi Traveler - I can only speak to my profession and experience, but in professional journals within the field of psychology, getting a study published is very challenging. Most of our journals have acceptance rates in the ballpark of 5%, meaning only 5% of articles submitted for publication actually get published. There are lots of reasons a study might not be able to get published, ranging from findings that are not all that interesting to poor research methodology. Furthermore, most individuals outside of professional circles do not have easy access to the journals themselves, as journal subscriptions are very, very costly and wide access is really only available to those that work at universities. Of course, lots of people conduct "survey research" that may show up in a magazine or other outlet, but the science in those outlets is not peer-reviewed by other professionals and often consists of very poor science, as well as conclusions that go way beyond what could be said from the data. Today, people also have to be careful about "open-access" journals. These are journals that are provided free online, but again the peer-review process tends to be very weak. They are provided free because the authors of the articles have to pay a fee for publication. The Internet is a wonderful tool, but it has also opened the door to a lot of poor science being spread around. It is very difficult for those that do not have research knowledge to sift through the garbage.

One more thing... those that participate in any professional study should be given the opportunity to get information about the results directly from the researchers, even if the research does not lead to a professional publication. I will be offering this to all of my participants at the conclusion of the study :)

Rodney

wisp
01-26-2016, 10:25
Hello, Traveler! My research of A.T. thru-hiking psychology, from sport/performance perspective rather than clinical, started in 2014 and is ongoing because we saw we could learn more by doing a series of studies rather than just one. I should finish the series this year, and plan to share the results in 2017. Just don't want you to lose faith that the reusults will be released when the time comes!
If you'd like to see the results, I can add your contact info to a list of all participants who are going to receive the summary of results when they're ready:) Wisp (GA - ME, 2011)

Traveler
01-26-2016, 10:58
Hello, Traveler! My research of A.T. thru-hiking psychology, from sport/performance perspective rather than clinical, started in 2014 and is ongoing because we saw we could learn more by doing a series of studies rather than just one. I should finish the series this year, and plan to share the results in 2017. Just don't want you to lose faith that the reusults will be released when the time comes!
If you'd like to see the results, I can add your contact info to a list of all participants who are going to receive the summary of results when they're ready:) Wisp (GA - ME, 2011)

Thank you for your offer. Since the data is a solicitation of the forum, its probably more appropriate that if you want to provide data that it be provided in a link to folks here. I've always been curious how that data is managed and mined, I'm sure others are as well.

hikenow
02-17-2016, 08:01
Thank you to all those that have completed the survey!! We truly appreciate it and realize that folks are often asked to complete some type of survey these days. We currently have 68 responses, but we desperately need many more responses. If you are getting ready to take off this year, would you please consider taking 20-30 minutes to complete our online survey? Here is the link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/AT_Prehike_Survey (http://www.surveymonkey.com/r/AT_Prehike_Survey)
The full announcement can be viewed above. Thank you everyone!! I'm sending this from Amicalola Falls Lodge and heading out tomorrow morning for my adventure. Hope to see many of you on the trail!
Rodney