Journal of Arboriculture 31(5): September 2005 231 The analysis did not separate professionalism and safety as two distinct constructs. Rather, our questionnaire measured a single variable comprising seven domains, or question categories, among which there were discernible differences based on mean question difficulty (Figure 2). The easiest questions for respondents to answer correctly were those measuring ethical behavior (e.g., 98% said they fulfilled all verbal and written contracts they made, and 99% indicated they maintained honesty in business practices). Similarly, questions about perception of safety on the job were easy for respondents (e.g., 98% said they work under the safest possible conditions). This means that respondents scored high on the survey in terms of ethical behavior and how safe they feel on the job. They scored lower when it came to dealing with customers (e.g., 56% reported they provide their customers with a written report). Measures were lowest for questions concerning adherence to state and federal laws (e.g., 73% said they display their license number on their work vehicles, a state regulation), hands-on safety behavior (e.g., 58% indicated they wore leg protection when on the job), making sound tree care recommendations, and pursuit of up-to-date technical information (e.g., 53% said they attended more than one continuing education seminar each year, and 65% indicated they were members of a professional organization such as the International Society of Arboriculture). Figure 2. Mean survey question scores for seven question categories and mean question score for all questions. PET = ethical behavior in business practices; PIC = interactions with customers; PSP = promote sound arboricultural practices to customers; PTK = pursuit of technical training or membership in a professional organization; PLE = ethics in following regulations; SPC = perception of safety on the job; and SBH = safety behaviors. DISCUSSION In this survey, respondents responded “yes” to most questions, effectively inflating their overall scores and exaggerating levels of professionalism and safety. Bias is not uncommon in self-reported surveys (Howard 1994; Schmitt 1994). Potential sources of bias—inflationary and deflationary—in self-reporting include social sensitivity of the subject of the survey (Fu et al. 1998), social desirabil- ity of the behaviors described by the questions (Arnold and Feldman 1981; Ashton 1998), pre-survey suggestion or “priming” (Ruble 1977; Moss and Lawrence 1997), and whether respondents are anonymous or identifiable (Malvin and Moskowitz 1983). To assess the extent of the bias in this survey, we will verify on-the-job professional- ism and safety with direct observation during the second phase of the study. Hispanic arborists scored higher than other arborists, but given their shorter careers in tree care (4 years for Hispanic arborists versus 12.4 for non-Hispanic) and the small number of Hispanic respondents in our sample (3), it is unlikely this difference is due to better knowledge or actual behavior. Rockwell and Kohn (1989) identified another potential source of inflationary bias in self-reported behavior on pre-tests or baseline surveys: initial unfamiliarity with content area. The difference this survey detected between Hispanic and non-Hispanic arborists may reflect the kind of inflationary bias that comes from unfamiliarity with content area for these reasons: (1) Hispanic arborists in Louisiana have worked fewer years in arboriculture than other ethnic groups, and (2) Hispanic workers may face substantial linguistic barriers when asked to complete a written ques- tionnaire in English. Many newly immigrated Hispanic workers who enter agriculture-related or other green industry jobs are illiterate both in their own language and in English. For example, 85% of Mexican-born agricultural workers have less than a 12th grade education, and fewer than 5% can read or speak English well (Mehta et al. 2000). The number of Hispanics working in tree care is growing across the country, and issues relating to their acquisition of knowledge and skills warrant further study and effort. Our instrument failed to describe safety and profession- alism as separate variables, suggesting they are closely related. Thus, the seven categories of questions we used (Table 1) are better independent indicators of sound arboricultural practice. Mean question scores ranged from easy for questions relating to ethical behavior in business practices (–2.713) to difficult for questions relating to pursuit of technical training (1.470) (Figure 2). Questions indicating ethical behavior were the easiest for respondents to answer correctly, possibly because honesty and other ethical behaviors are such strongly desirable social behav- iors that questions referring to honesty and ethics are easy to affirm regardless of actual practice. ©2005 International Society of Arboriculture
September 2005
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