Changing Rural Environments: Formulating Enquiry Questions (Edexcel GCSE Geography A)

Formulating Rural Enquiry Questions

Rural Environment Fieldwork Enquiry

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

• These can apply to any rural 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 theory and rural environments

• The fieldwork enquiry should be linked to geographical theory

  • In the rural fieldwork enquiry the theories of counter-urbanisation can be linked to rural environment change

Aims and Hypothesis

• The aims and hypothesis come from the questions asked about the change in rural environments such as:

  • What impact on the rural environment does the building of a new housing estate/road/industrial estate have?

  • How has the land use in [specified location] changed?

• Examples of an aim would be:

  • An investigation into the environmental impact of a new road/housing estate/business park in [specified location]

  • An investigation into changing in land use in [specified location]

• Examples of hypothesis would be:

  • The building of [specified location] housing estate has had a negative impact on the environment

  • The changing land use in [specified location] has negatively impacted the local environment

• After the aims and hypothesis 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

  • Deciding on data collection methods 

Site Selection and Sampling

• It is not practical to take measurements or look at changes in all parts of the rural environment 

• To select sites sampling should be used a number of factors will need to be considered

  • Is it accessible?

  • Is it in the local area so that you have enough time to collect data?

  • Will it give a varied set of data?

• Sampling should be used to make the final site selections once your general location has been decided. Sampling:

  • Reduces bias

  • Provides an overview of the whole

• There may be situations where access to the sample site may be limited meaning an opportunistic approach 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 rural environment enquiry are:

  • Systematic: sampling of sites/people at regular intervals along a transect line

  • Random: all sites have an equal chance of being selected. A grid is placed across the rural area to be sampled

  • Stratified: sampling sites which represent the whole. If 10% of the population is over 65 then 10% of a questionnaire sample should be over 65

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

Equipment

• To complete the rural environments enquiry a range of equipment is needed

• The equipment needed may include the following:

  • Record sheets

  • Interview Sheets

  • Pencil for completing recording sheets

  • Camera to take photographs of land use

  • Digital noise meter

  • Environmental Quality Surveys

  • Maps

Risk Assessment

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

• Risks specifically associated with rural environment fieldwork may include:

  • Weather conditions

  • Uneven ground

  • Working in an unfamiliar place

  • Traffic

  • Livestock