Developing a Structural Model of the Role of Psychological Factors in the Travel Mode Choice for Student’s University Trips Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior

Document Type : Scientific - Research

Authors
Faezeh Sadat Esmaeili 1
Hossein Haghshenas 2
Seyedeh Razieh Tabaeian 3
1 M.SC. in Transportation Department of Transportation Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan, Iran
2 Associate Professor, Department of Transportation Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan, Iran
3 Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Isfahan, Iran
10.22119/jte.2025.512070.2737
Abstract
The current study aims to investigate the role of psychological factors affecting the tendency and behavior of choosing public means of university trips of Isfahan students in the first quarter of 1401 and has been compiled with regard to conducting similar studies in some countries. In this research, the theory of planned behavior was used as a theoretical basis to investigate the psychological factors affecting the choice of means of travel. Since the universities attract travel and the study of student trips and the growth of travel means for them will have a wide impact on the society, in the present study, 398 questionnaires were completed by the students of Isfahan University and Isfahan University of Technology. Therefore, the structural equation modeling method was used to investigate the relationships expressed in the theory of planned behavior. The results showed that people's attitude towards public transportation has the most direct and significant effect on people's desire and intention to use public transportation. After that, the attitude towards personal transportation has an inverse effect and the subjective norm has a direct effect on the willingness to use public transportation. Based on this, it was suggested to change the attitude of students through appropriate training and advertisements and by strengthening people's understanding of the benefits of using public transportation, In addition to focusing on the education and cultural formations necessary to improve people's attitudes, It was found that the time of students' arrival at the university, convenience, access, and related costs have an effect on the formation of these attitudes. the desire to use public transportation increases in people. Based on this, it was suggested to change the attitude of students through appropriate training and advertisements and by strengthening people's understanding of the benefits of using public transportation, and in this way, In this regard, focusing on changing people's attitudes, measures such as increasing the number of public vehicles on the routes leading to the university in order to improve the travel time of students, accurate and regular scheduling of the movement of public vehicles leading to the university and university services and providing adequate information to students, increasing the hours of transportation services Public transportation to students, reducing public transportation fares as an incentive scheme for students and improving the conditions of stations and policies that limit the use of students' personal vehicles.
Keywords
Psychological factors
Theory of planned behavior
Travel behavior
Public transportation
Structural equation modeling
Subjects
- هومن، حیدرعلی (1384) "مدل‌یابی معادلات ساختاری با استفاده از نرم افزار لیزرل"، انتشارات سمت.
 
- Gärling, T. and Schuitema, G., 2007. Travel demand management targeting reduced private car use: effectiveness, public acceptability and political feasibility. Journal of social issues, 63(1), pp.139-153.
doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4560.2007.00500.x
 
- Choo, S. and Mokhtarian, P.L., 2008. How do people respond to congestion mitigation policies? A multivariate probit model of the individual consideration of three travel-related strategy bundles. Transportation, 35, pp.145-163.
doi.org/10.1007/s11116-007-9142-8
 
- Nisha, R., Samson, M., and Taylor, G., 2023. Development of Structural Equation Model for Travel Mode Choice Behaviour of Working Population in Thiruvananthapuram City, 11(5), pp.2572-2582. doi.org/10.13189/cea.2023.110524
 
- Albert, G. and Mahalel, D., 2006. Congestion tolls and parking fees: A comparison of the potential effect on travel behavior. Transport policy, 13(6), pp.496-502.
doi.org/10.1016/j.tranpol.2006.05.007
 
- Stevenson Turay, S., Ababio-Donkor, A., and Adams, C., 2024. Statistical modelling of travel mode choice of public university students in Freetown, Sierra Leone: the case of three campuses. Urban, Planning and Transport Research, 12.
https://doi.org/10.1080/21650020.2024.2304589
 
- Yan He, Yilin Sun, Zhijian Zhao, Mengwei Chen, E. Owen D. Waygood, Yang Shu, 2024. Impact of social-psychological factors on low-carbon travel intention: Merging theory of planned behavior and value-belief-norm theory, 10(6),
 
- Eva Gößwein, Johannes Aertker, Dirk Wittowsky, and Magnus Liebherr. 2019, The Role of Infrastructural and Psychological Factors in Sustainable Transportation Mode Choices. Applied Sciences,15(11).
https://doi.org/10.3390/app15115953.
 
- Liu, Y., Chen, J., Wu, W. and Ye, J., 2019. Typical combined travel mode choice utility model in multimodal transportation network. Sustainability, 11(2), p.549.
doi.org/10.3390/su11020549
 
- Mayo, F.L. and Taboada, E.B., 2020. Ranking factors affecting public transport mode choice of commuters in an urban city of a developing country.
 
- Abdullah, M., Ali, N., Aslam, A.B., Javid, M.A. and Hussain, S.A., 2022. Factors affecting the mode choice behavior before and during COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan. International journal of transportation science and technology, 11(1), pp.174-186.
doi.org/10.1016/j.ijtst.2021.06.005
 
- Redman, L., Friman, M., Gärling, T. and Hartig, T., 2013. Quality attributes of public transport that attract car users: A research review. Transport policy, 25, pp.119-127.
doi.org/10.1016/j.tranpol.2012.11.005
 
- Kandt, J., Rode, P., Hoffmann, C., Graff, A. and Smith, D., 2015. Gauging interventions for sustainable travel: A comparative study of travel attitudes in Berlin and London. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 80, pp.35-48.
doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2015.07.008
 
- Kaewkluengklom, R., Satiennam, W., Jaensirisak, S. and Satiennam, T., 2017. Influence of psychological factors on mode choice behaviour: Case study of BRT in Khon Kaen City, Thailand. Transportation research procedia, 25, pp.5072-5082.
doi.org/10.1016/j.trpro.2017.05.213
 
- Gerber, P., Thériault, M., Enaux, C. and Carpentier-Postel, S., 2018. Modelling impacts of beliefs and attitudes on mode choices. Lessons from a survey of Luxembourg cross-border commuters. Transportation Research Procedia, 32, pp.513-523.
doi.org/10.1016/j.trpro.2018.10.037
 
- Arroyo, R., Ruiz, T., Mars, L., Rasouli, S. and Timmermans, H., 2020. Influence of values, attitudes towards transport modes and companions on travel behavior. Transportation research part F: traffic psychology and behaviour, 71, pp.8-22.
doi.org/10.1016/j.trf.2020.04.002
 
- Chen, J., Chen, Q. and Li, H.P., 2020. Psychological influences on bus travel mode choice: a comparative analysis between two Chinese cities. Journal of Advanced Transportation, 2020, pp.1-9.
doi.org/10.1155/2020/8848741
 
- Pan, S., Zheng, G. and Chen, Q., 2021. The psychological decision-making process model of non-commuting travel mode choice under parking constraints. Transportation research interdisciplinary perspectives, 11, p.100410.
doi.org/10.1016/j.trip.2021.100410
 
- De Vos, J., Singleton, P.A. and Gärling, T., 2022. From attitude to satisfaction: introducing the travel mode choice cycle. Transport Reviews, 42(2), pp.204-221.
doi.org/10.1080/01441647.2021.1958952
 
- Zhang, K., 2018. Theory of planned behavior: Origins, development and future direction. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention, 7(5), pp.76-83.
http://www.ijhssi.org -> K0705047683.pdf
 
- Ajzen, I., 1991. The theory of planned behavior. Organizational behavior and human decision processes, 50(2), pp.179-211.
doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-T
 
- Kotrlik, J.W.K.J.W. and Higgins, C.C.H.C.C., 2001. Organizational research: Determining appropriate sample size in survey research appropriate sample size in survey research. Information technology, learning, and performance journal, 19(1), p.43.
https://www.scirp.org/reference/referencespapers?referenceid=2783970
 
- Lee, J.H., Kim, H.D., Ko, Y.J. and Sagas, M., 2011. The influence of service quality on satisfaction and intention: A gender segmentation strategy. Sport Management Review, 14(1), pp.54-63.
doi.org/10.1016/j.smr.2010.02.002
 
- Chen, M.F. and Tung, P.J., 2014. Developing an extended theory of planned behavior model to predict consumers’ intention to visit green hotels. International journal of hospitality management, 36, pp.221-230.
doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2013.09.006
 
- Jaccard, J. and Wan, C.K., 1996. LISREL approaches to interaction effects in multiple regression (No. 114). sage.
 
- B. Wheaton, B. Muthen, D. F. Alwin, and G. F. Summers, "Assessing reliability and stability in panel models," Sociological methodology, vol. 8, pp. 84-136, 1977.(77)
 
- B. M. Byrne, Structural equation modeling with Mplus: Basic concepts, applications, and programming. routledge, 2013.(76)
 
- Black, W. and Babin, B.J., 2019. Multivariate data analysis: Its approach, evolution, and impact. In The great facilitator: Reflections on the Contributions of Joseph F. Hair, Jr. to marketing and business research (pp. 121-130). Cham: Springer International Publishing.
 
- Tanaka, J.S., 1987. " How big is big enough?": Sample size and goodness of fit in structural equation models with latent variables. Child development, pp.134-146.
doi.org/10.2307/1130296
Quarterly Journal of Transportation Engineering
Volume 17, Issue 3 - Serial Number 68
Winter 2026
Pages 5563-5579

  • Receive Date 12 March 2025
  • Revise Date 18 August 2025
  • Accept Date 29 November 2025