Fieldwork Skills (Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE Geography): Revision Note

Aims & Hypothesis

• Fieldwork is based around an enquiry into a 'real life' issue

  • This is linked to the content in the specification and then related to a place-specific context

• All fieldwork begins with the aims and hypothesis

• The aim explains what the enquiry is attempting to achieve 

  • An investigation into changes in beach profiles along Mappleton Beach

  • An investigation into the impact of building a wind farm in rural Lincolnshire

• The hypothesis needs to be clear, directional and measurable; it is a statement which can be tested

  • River discharge increases with distance from the source of the River Dove

  • Environmental quality increases with distance from the new housing estate in Swanland, East Yorkshire

• Aims and hypotheses may be based on what is already known about the topic. For example, Bradshaw's model of rivers

Data Collection

Health and safety during fieldwork

• Carry out a risk assessment on the area you have chosen

• Identify any hazards and ways they can be dealt with

  • Dress appropriately to stay warm and dry. If strong sun is forecast, bring and wear sunscreen and a hat

  • Contact details – always have a contact/meeting point, an emergency contact number and your school's telephone number

  • Check the weather forecast for the area

  • Make sure all mobile phones are fully charged with emergency numbers already uploaded and on speed dial if possible

  • Have designated rendezvous points and emergency contacts

• River work 

  • Do not push people or otherwise mess about in the water

  • Take extreme care near riverbanks, especially where the ground is steep or wet

  • Wear suitable footwear at all times

  • Do not swim in the water 

• Coastal fieldwork

  • Check high and low tide times

  • Use dedicated footpaths to access the beach

  • Don’t climb on groynes or sea defence structures

  • Do not handle beach litter; wear gloves when picking up pebbles

  • Stay at least one metre away from the tide line and keep an eye on the waves

  • Do not enter the sea under any circumstances

  • Stay in pairs/threes and visual contact with a member of staff at all times

• Town centre

  • Ensure that you have the contact numbers for staff and that they have your mobile phone number too

  • Ensure your mobile phone is charged and in credit

  • Use the map in your pack to familiarise yourself with the area

  • Stay with your group at all times – no one should be on their own at any time

  • Keep valuables concealed – digital cameras are brought at your own risk

  • Only question people you are comfortable talking to and who are happy to help you

  • Avoid asking the same person as another group working in the same area

  • Use the pedestrian crossing where possible

• Equipment

  • Check all equipment is working and that you have enough for each student/group and some spares 

  • Make sure you know how to use specific equipment and/or any recording sheets provided

  • Ensure you practice using the equipment in a safe environment before taking it out in the field

  • Where laptops and smartphones are to be used and internet access is needed, check out that this is possible

  • If apps are to be used, make sure these are downloaded onto each piece of equipment

Data collection

• Data collected by the students within their fieldwork is primary data

• Examples of primary data can include:

  • Questionnaire data

  • River data – width, depth etc...

  • Video/audio recordings

  • Photographs

  • Interview information 

• Data collected by someone else but used by the student in their enquiry is secondary data

• Examples of secondary data can include:

  • Census results

  • Weather data 

  • Old photographs

  • Maps

  • Newspaper articles

  • Websites

Primary data

• Strengths of primary data include:

  • The data is reliable and valid if collected correctly

  • The data is specific to the enquiry

  • As much data as needed can be collected

  • The method of the collection is known

  • It is up-to-date

• Limitations of primary data include:

  • It is time-consuming to collect

  • Specialist equipment/resources may be required

  • The sample size needs to be large to be accurate

Secondary data

• Strengths of secondary data include:

  • It can be easy to access

  • It may be low-cost or free

  • Can be accessed quickly

  • A large amount of data sources are available

• Limitations of secondary data include:

  • It is not specific to the enquiry

  • No control over the data quality

  • Data may be biased

  • Data may be out of date

Quantitative data

• Data which records quantities is quantitative data

• Examples of quantitative data are:

  • Numerical data collected in questionnaires

  • Traffic counts

  • Environmental quality surveys

  • River data – velocity, discharge

  • Weather data

Qualitative data

• Data which records descriptive information is qualitative data

• Examples of qualitative data:

  • Field sketches and photographs

  • Non-numeric questionnaire data

  • Interview answers

Questionnaires and interviews

• When collecting data via questionnaires or interviews, several questioning types can be used:

  • Closed questions where answers are limited to single words, numbers or a list of options

  • Statements which use a scale to gauge people's views. For example, strongly agree/agree 

  • Open questions where the respondent can give any answer

• Questionnaires can be used to gather a large sample of data

• Interviews are more in-depth and tend to be used to gather a smaller data sample

Environmental quality surveys

• These are used to collect data about the environmental quality of different sites

• They use the judgement of the person conducting the survey to assess environmental quality against a range of indicators

  • Using a sliding scale (1 - -5) or bipolar scale (-3 to 3)

  • Usually, the lower the score, the more negative the assessment of the environmental quality

• They are subjective because they are based on the opinion of the person completing them

• This can be reduced by:

  • Completing in small groups to reach a consensus regarding the score

  • Using the mode of EQS completed by several students

• They produce quantitative data

Data Presentation

• There are different types of data

  • Quantitative and qualitative

  • Continuous and discrete

• There are many ways in which data can be presented

  • Graphs

  • Annotated photographs

  • Field sketches 

  • Maps

  • Diagrams

• The types of data presentation used will depend on the data collected

Graphical skills

• Much of the data collected will be presented in the form of graphs of some form

  • Each type of graph is suitable for particular data sets

  • The graphs also may have advantages and disadvantages

• Follow the links to the relevant pages to find information on:

  • maps

  • graphs

  • charts

  • diagrams

  • images

  • GIS

Analysis, Evaluation & Conclusion

Analysis

• Once data has been collected and presented, it needs to be analysed

• Analysis is the process that makes sense of the data collected

  • It identifies patterns, trends, significance, connections, and/or meaning in the data 

• The analysis of data involves several stages

  • Describe the data shown in the graphs/photographs/maps

  • Identification of the highest and lowest results

  • Identification of any patterns and trends

  • Identification of any relationships between data

• Methods of analysis depend upon the data collected

• Quantitative data is analysed using numerical and statistical methods

• Follow the link to find information on numerical methods, including:

  • proportion

  • ratio

  • magnitude

  • frequency

  • mean, median, mode and range

  • trends

Analysing photographs and field sketches

• Annotation of photographs, images and field sketches is part of the analysis 

• The use of photographs and field sketches is a qualitative analysis

• Further information about using images

Conclusion

• The fieldwork conclusion should:

  • return to the hypothesis and aim

  • identify any evidence that supports the hypothesis 

  • outline any evidence that contradicts the hypothesis

  • describe and explain any links to geographical theories

  • acknowledge any unusual results

  • state whether the hypothesis is supported or not

• A key focus in the fieldwork questions in the exam is the evaluation of data collection

• Enquiry evaluation should:

  • identify any problems with, or limitations of, data collection methods

  • suggest other data that would have been useful in the study or improvements that could be made

  • evaluate how reliable the conclusions were

  • suggesting how the scope of the study could be extended

Data collection – problems and limitations

• There are always issues and limitations associated with data collection; they may include:

  • Accessibility of sample sites—could all sample sites be accessed?

  • Sample size: Was the sample size large enough?

  • Duration of the data collection—was the enquiry time long enough to collect the data needed?

  • Methods: Were the questionnaire questions appropriate to meet the aim and test the hypothesis?

  • Were there any issues with the equipment?

  • Was there any human error in the process of recording data or reading the equipment?

  • Time of the data collection—did the weather or time impact the results collected?

  • Unforeseen issues—were there any problems on the day, such as road works and river flow, that affected the results?

Other data and improvements

• There are always improvements that could be made to data collection; these may include:

  • increasing the sample size

  • taking more measurements 

  • looking at a wider range of secondary sources

  • using other equipment—a flow meter would be more accurate for measuring river velocity than a float

Evaluating the conclusions

• To evaluate the conclusion, students should examine whether the

  • conclusions reflect the aims and hypothesis set out at the start of the enquiry

  • aim and hypothesis were appropriate—could the hypothesis be easily assessed?

  • location was appropriate 

  • accuracy of results could be improved if the data collection were to be repeated