River Fieldwork: Formulating Enquiry Questions (Edexcel GCSE Geography A)

Revision Note

Flashcards
Bridgette Barrett

Written by: Bridgette Barrett

Reviewed by: Jenna Quinn

Aims, Sampling, Equipment & Risk Assessment

River fieldwork enquiry

  • To undertake a river fieldwork enquiry there are a range of practical skills and methods that will be used

  • These can be applied to any river fieldwork

Stages of the enquiry process

  • The enquiry process is made up of six stages

    • Identification of a question and context

    • Selecting and using data collection methods

    • Processing and presenting your data

    • Analysing your data and reaching conclusions

    • Evaluation of the fieldwork

Geographical theories and case studies

  • The fieldwork enquiry should be linked to geographical theory

    • In the river fieldwork enquiry the Bradshaw model is usually used

bradshaws-model

The Bradshaw Model

  • Using a model or case studies helps to explain why certain processes occur or trends/patterns can be seen

  • They enable identification of where the data collected is not as expected

Examiner Tips and Tricks

In the exam you will be expected to answer questions on at least two of the stages which make up the enquiry process

Aims and Hypothesis

  • The aims and hypothesis come from questions asked about the river such as:

    • Does discharge increase along the length of River Y?

    • Does the average velocity increase along the length of River Y?

    • How and why does the cross-profile change along the long profile of River Y?

  • Examples of an aim would be:

    • An investigation into how a river's cross-profile changes downstream

    • An investigation into changes in discharge with distance downstream

  • Examples of a hypothesis would be:

    • The width and depth of River Y will increase with the distance downstream

    • The discharge of River Y increases with the distance downstream

  • After the aims and hypothesis of the fieldwork have been established the next steps include:

    • Selecting the sites: this will involve sampling

    • Deciding on the equipment to be used

    • Considering any health and safety issues: completing a risk assessment

    • Data collection method

Worked Example

You developed at least one question or hypothesis to help you investigate the river you have studied

Explain how this question or hypothesis helped your investigation

(3)

  • In your answer you need to clearly state what your hypothesis or key question was e.g. 

    • The width and depth of the River Dove increased with distance downstream

  • The answer then needs to outline how this helped you to investigate the river

Answer:

  • My enquiry question supported my understanding of the aims of the investigation/focus on the main aim (1) through exploring the changes in the width and depth of the river as well as other characteristics (1) to decide how the river channel changes in relation to the Bradshaw Model (1) 

Site Selection and Sampling

  • To collect data it is not practical to measure all parts of the river

  • To select the river sites used sampling should be used to reduce bias

  • There may be situations where access to the river is limited meaning an opportunistic approach to sampling may need to be taken. However, this should be as close as possible to the site selected using sampling 

  • The most commonly used sampling strategies for a river enquiry are:

    • Systematic: a sampling of sites at regular intervals means that all parts of the river are covered

    • Random: the use of random sampling means that all sites have an equal chance of being selected which eliminates bias

    • Stratified: by sampling sites immediately downstream of a confluence significant changes in discharge can be identified

  • Site location can be recorded using GPS to give an accurate location using latitude and longitude

Equipment

  • To complete the river measurements a range of equipment is needed 

  • The equipment includes the following:

    • 25+ meter tape to measure the river width and for marking out distance downstream for velocity measurements

    • 1 metre rule for measuring the depth

    • Clipboard for holding recording sheets

    • Pencil for writing in data

    • Camera to take photographs of sites and river features

    • Float or flowmeter for measuring velocity

    • Stopwatch if not using a flowmeter

Risk Assessment

  • Any fieldwork will involve consideration of health and safety using a risk assessment

  • Risks associated specifically with river fieldwork may include:

    • Weather conditions

    • Slippery rocks

    • Polluted water

    • Working in an unfamiliar place

    • Misuse of equipment

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Bridgette Barrett

Author: Bridgette Barrett

Expertise: Geography Lead

After graduating with a degree in Geography, Bridgette completed a PGCE over 25 years ago. She later gained an MA Learning, Technology and Education from the University of Nottingham focussing on online learning. At a time when the study of geography has never been more important, Bridgette is passionate about creating content which supports students in achieving their potential in geography and builds their confidence.

Jenna Quinn

Author: Jenna Quinn

Expertise: Head of New Subjects

Jenna studied at Cardiff University before training to become a science teacher at the University of Bath specialising in Biology (although she loves teaching all three sciences at GCSE level!). Teaching is her passion, and with 10 years experience teaching across a wide range of specifications – from GCSE and A Level Biology in the UK to IGCSE and IB Biology internationally – she knows what is required to pass those Biology exams.