Geography Paper 4 Essential Info Flashcards
Must know all of this
Primary data
Observations/measurements that you have collected yourself
Examples of primary data
-Tallies
-Questionnaires
-Measurements
-Photographs
Advantages of primary data
-Specific to your investigation
-Up to date
Disadvantages of primary data
-Time to set up and trial
-Need training - interview
-Confidentiality
-Success rate(questionnaire)
Secondary data
Information from sources that have already been collected
Examples of secondary data
-Historical data
-Environmental agency
Advantages of secondary data
-Cheap
-Not time consuming
Disadvantages
-Outdated(perhaps)
-Irrelevant
-Getting access to data
-Trustworthy?
Factors you should consider when choosing fieldwork sites
-Accessibility
-Distance between sites(should be equal and sites should be spread out)
-Safety
-Hazards
-Weather conditions
-Away from human impacts(sometimes)
General risks for case studies
-Getting lost
-Accessibility problems
-Illness
-Weather changes
-Temperature
-Traffic
-Crime
-Tide
-Time of day
Pilot study
a fieldwork study done before the main study(a practice(small-scale version)
Benefits of pilot studies
-Helps see if full case study is safe and accessible
-Helps find additional costs and resources required
-Helps familiarise you with the methods
-Helps avoid mistakes in real fieldwork
-Helps students to be more confident in real study
-Helps test fieldwork equipment
Systematic sampling
observations taken at regular intervals
Random sampling
observations taken randomly(everyone has equal chance of being selected)
Stratified sampling
dividing sampling into groups
Transect
straight line that cuts through a natural landscape so observations and measurements can be made
Pros of systematic sampling
-Easy to set up
-Easier to cover whole study area/sample
-Quick method
-Avoids bias
Cons of systematic sampling
-May be difficult to get to a particular site
-More biased(?)
Pros of stratified sampling
-Generates results which are more representative of the whole population
-Very flexible in its applicability
-Correlations and comparisons(between groups) can be made more easily
-Can be used with random or systematic sampling
Cons of stratified sampling
-Must define groups first
-Success depends on if you collect enough data for each group
-Bias within each group
Pros of random sampling
-Can be used with large sample populations
-Avoids bias
-Quick method
Cons of random sampling
-Depends on who you can stop or where places are located
-Hard to represent the whole area
Quantitative data
Data counting amount of fixed responses or taking specific measurements
Examples of quantitative data
-Age
-Velocity of water in a river
Pros of quantitative data
-Large samples can be generalised
-Quick collection of data
Cons of quantitative data
-Generalising data hides interesting anomalies
-Hard to represent the whole area
Examples of qualitative data
-Interviews
-Field sketches
-Photographs
Pros of qualitative data
-Opinions collected and valued
-Allows respondents to answer questions like “why?” and “how?”
Cons of qualitative data
Very time consuming to analyse and group data(especially with interviews)
General safety precautions(during fieldwork)
-Staying in designated area
-Arranging meeting points
-Telling a teacher or adult where you are going
-Working in groups or pairs
-Avoiding slippery surfaces
-Wearing sensible shoes/gear(in general)
