Fieldwork Methods (Edexcel GCSE Geography B)
Revision Note
Written by: Jacque Cartwright
Reviewed by: Bridgette Barrett
Urban Fieldwork Methods
The data collection methods depend on the aims/hypothesis of the fieldwork
In urban environment fieldwork the only equipment which may be used is a digital decibel meter
Other data collection may include questionnaires, traffic counts and environmental quality surveys
Data collection should include both quantitative and qualitative methods
Questionnaires
Questionnaires can be used to gather the opinions of local people on changes in the urban environment
An example of a statement question would be:
'The building of the new housing estate has increased traffic.' Do you strongly agree, agree, disagree or strongly disagree?
An example of a closed question would be:
'How long have you lived in this area?'
An example of an open question would be:
'What are your views on the new housing development in ............?'
These can be used to gather a large data sample
The data gathered in a questionnaire can be quantitative or qualitative
Environmental quality surveys
Environmental Quality Surveys (EQS) can be used to compare different sites with in the urban area
A survey would be completed for each site
Care needs to be taken to be as objective as possible
The data collected is quantitative
Feature | Negative | -2 | -1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | Positive |
Pavements | Pavements damaged and cracked in poor state of repair |
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| Good quality pavements in excellent state of repair |
Buildings | Buildings look derelict and uncared for |
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| Buildings look well cared for |
Litter | Lots of litter |
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| No litter |
Traffic | Lots of traffic and congestion |
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| No traffic |
Green space | No green space, trees or vegetation |
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| Lots of green space, trees and other vegetation |
Graffiti | Lots of graffiti |
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| No graffiti |
Traffic and pedestrian flow surveys
Traffic and pedestrian flow surveys can be used to compare the traffic and pedestrian levels at different sample sites
The data gathered in traffic and pedestrian surveys is quantitative
They can be completed on a tally chart at different sites and different times of the day
Vehicle | 9am | 11am | 1pm | 3pm |
Car |
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Bus |
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Lorry |
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Motorbike |
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Bicycle |
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Photographs and Field Sketches
Photographs and field sketches are qualitative data
Just as with any data collection and presentation they have their strengths and weaknesses
In an urban environment enquiry, photographs and field sketches can be used to show changes in land use and their impact on the environment at sample site locations
Photographs are also useful for illustrating the data collection methods used
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Annotations and labels are not the same. A label is a simple descriptive point. For example, 'litter'. Whereas an annotation is a label with a more detailed description or explanatory point. For example, 'Large amounts of litter near to a playground where there are no bins available.
Dynamic urban areas enquiry data presentation
Data presentation can take many forms
Primary data
Much of the primary data collected in an urban environment enquiry will be presented in the form of graphs:
Each type of graph is suitable for particular data sets
The graphs may have strengths and limitations
Suitable graphs include:
Bar graphs to compare the environmental quality scores at different sample sites
Compound or divided bar graphs to show traffic counts
Scattergraphs to show the relationship between factors such as proximity to land use change and the environmental quality of a site
Rose diagrams to show noise levels
Data presentation may also include maps:
Sample site location
Proportional circle maps to show traffic counts at different sample sites
Examiner Tips and Tricks
In the exam, you will not be asked to draw an entire graph. However, it is common to be asked to complete an unfinished graph using the data provided. You may be asked to identify the highest or lowest score or an anomalous result. When completing a graph:
Take your time to ensure that you have marked the data on to the graph accurately
Use the same style as the data which has already been put on the graph:
Bars on the graph should be the same width
If the dots on the graph are connected by a line then you should do the same
Secondary data
Any fieldwork should include secondary data as well as primary data
In an urban environment enquiry, suitable data may include:
Historical traffic counts
Maps of the area where land use has changed
Newspaper articles/websites about land use change
Aerial photographs
Analysis
Once all the data has been collected and presented, it needs to be analysed
The data which is collected regarding rural environment change such as environmental quality surveys and traffic counts is quantitative data and will be analysed using statistical methods
One of the main statistical methods that may be used is the mean
Worked Example
Explain how case studies or theories helped you to analyse your results
(4 marks)
One mark will be awarded for the basic value of a case study or a theory
Three further marks will be awarded for explaining how that helped with the analysis
Answer
Hypothesis/model relating environmental quality to social class applied to own results (1) because at site _ there was .... (1) this was explained by .....(1)
Hypotheses/model relating environmental quality to distance from city centre applied to own results (1) because at site _ there was .... (1) this was explained by .....(1)
Analysing photographs and field sketches
The use of photographs and field sketches is a qualitative analysis
Photographs and field sketches can be used in an urban environment enquiry to analyse a number of different features:
Features of different land use at the sample sites
Data collection techniques
Images of land use changes: new housing/road/industry
Conclusion
Once the data has been analysed, conclusions can be reached
The conclusion should state whether the hypothesis has been proved or disproved
Identify and explain any anomalies such as:
A sample site that has a low traffic count but high levels of noise pollution
Anomalies may occur due to a natural cause or maybe the result of incorrect recording or human error when using the equipment
Worked Example
Explain why the conclusions that you reached may be unreliable
(4 marks)
Answer
Because the sites selected for data collection were unrepresentative (1) so do not reflect the range of variation in chosen location (1) example/reasons for same (1)
Because the sample size was not large enough (1) and so results may not be an accurate reflection of ‘population’ (1) example/reasons for same (1)
Because of the range/limited number of sites/wrong day/timings (1) example/reasons for same (1)
Because the sampling procedures were unrepresentative (1) and so don’t reflect the overall population (1) example/reasons for same (1)
Because not all the results were accurate (1) because of data gathering issues (1) example/reasons for same (1)
Evaluation
The final stage of the rural environment enquiry is the evaluation which outlines how successful or not the rural environment enquiry was and what could be done differently were it to be repeated. For example:
Next time I would take measurements over a longer period of time to ensure the reliability of the data
I completed the environmental survey on my own which is subjective, next time I would complete it in groups and take the mode score
I think my investigation went well and I would like to repeat it at another time of year to see if this impacts the environmental quality
Examiner Tips and Tricks
The 8-mark fieldwork question is often an evaluation of your enquiry or of unfamiliar fieldwork. The evaluation could be regarding data collection, analysis or your conclusion. The key factors to remember to include in your answer are:
What went well - how do you know that your results were accurate and therefore valid?
Is the enquiry reliable - Could it be repeated and the same results achieved?
What could have been improved?
What would you do if you were to repeat the enquiry?
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