Introduction to Fieldwork

Question 1

What are the stages of fieldwork?

Answer 1

1. Introduction and planning
2. Method and data collection
3. Data presentation
4. Data analysis
5. Conclusion
6. Evaluation

Question 2

Hypothesis:

Answer 2

An idea to be tested, which can either be proved or rejected.

Question 3

Human:

Answer 3

Looks at environments that are created by people, e.g. cities or tourist resorts.

Question 4

Physical:

Answer 4

Looks at natural landscapes e.g. rivers and coasts.

Question 5

Suitable clothing for a river site fieldwork investigation:

Answer 5

• waders
• wellies
• waterproof jacket/clothes
• insulated clothes
• change of clothes
• waterproof trousers
• life jacket
• towel

Question 6

Possible risks at a river site:

Answer 6

• breaking equipment
• getting wet
• falling into the river - drowning
• strong currents
• hitting head on rock
• hypothermia

Question 7

How to overcome the risks at a river site:

Answer 7

• waterproof clothing
• staying cautious
• wearing a helmet
• medical kit
• rope
• checking footing
• phone

Question 8

Quantitive:

Answer 8

Anything numerical e.g. wave counts

Question 9

Qualitative:

Answer 9

Anything non-numerical e.g. a written description of the environment

Question 10

Primary:

Answer 10

Data you have collected yourself.

Question 11

Secondary:

Answer 11

Looked at other sources, used someone else’s sources.

Question 12

Random sampling:

Answer 12

Selecting a person or a place at random.

Question 13

Advantages of random sampling:

Answer 13

• easy
• non-time consuming
• unbiased, no particular people or places selected

Question 14

Disadvantages of random sampling:

Answer 14

• not precise

- not fair representation

Question 15

Systematic sampling:

Answer 15

Collecting data in an ordered or regular way (e.g.every 5 metres)

Question 16

Advantages of systematic sampling:

Answer 16

• precise
• fair representation
• regular
• thorough
• unbiased

Question 17

Disadvantages of Systematic sampling:

Answer 17

• time consuming
• more difficult
• might misrepresent certain subgroups in your data

Question 18

Stratified sampling:

Answer 18

Collecting data from different group in a population to ensure fairer representation.

Question 19

Advantages of stratified sampling:

Answer 19

• planned correctly
• easy
• precise
• subgroups in a population are fairly represented

Question 20

Disdvantages of stratified sampling:

Answer 20

-slightly more time-consuming

Question 21

Data collection at a river site:

Answer 21

• bedload size
• soil type
• type of sediment
• velocity
• management strategies
• river width
• river depth
• bedload shape
• fieldsketch

Question 22

Accuracy:

Answer 22

How close the measured value is to the true value of the population.

Question 23

Reliability:

Answer 23

How repeatable and consistent the measurements of an investigation are.

Question 24

Validity:

Answer 24

How accurately a method measures what it is intended to measure.

Question 25

Why is accurate methodology important?

Answer 25

- makes sure the results are valid - correctly interpreted - so that others can do the same experiment - so that it won’t be misleading when interpreting it - so that your conclusion will be correct

Question 26

Why do we need to present data?

Answer 26

- So that it is easier to see patterns. - Raw data tables are difficult to interpret. - Graphs and charts help to simplify the data. - Conclusions are easily drawn from data which is presented well. - It also makes it easier data and spot variations and anomalies.

Question 27

Graph types:

Answer 27

- bar chart - histogram - line graph - climate graph - scatter graph - cross-section

Question 28

Maps:

Answer 28

- OS maps - contour maps - chloropleth maps - satellite maps - road maps - sketch maps

Question 29

Photos and diagrams:

Answer 29

- satellite - sketch/diagram - photograph (annotations)

Question 30

Which graphs are good for continuous data?

Answer 30

Line graph

Question 31

Which graphs are good for percentage data?

Answer 31

Pie chart and bar chart

Question 32

Which graphs are good for data that needs multiple axes?

Answer 32

Radar graph

Question 33

Alternatives to graphs are:

Answer 33

Results table

Question 34

Which graphs are good for categories (pebble roundness)?

Answer 34

Bar chart

Question 35

Which graphs are good for showing relationships?

Answer 35

Scatter graphs

Question 36

Which graphs are good for aiding our interpretations of spatial patterns?

Answer 36

Locating on a map, aerial photo

Question 37

What is data analysis?

Answer 37

When you describe the results. Describe what was used. - quote figures (highest and lowest) - describe and explain patterns, trends and the relationship that the graph presents

Question 38

How do you write a good conclusion?

Answer 38

- Return to the stated hypothesis. - Write a statement about what evidence supports how strong,y the hypothesis is found to be true or false. - Note which element of the geographical theory is linked to the fieldwork . - Any unusual results should be acknowledged or explained

Question 39

Evaluating Fieldwork

Answer 39

- was is successful - see WWW - find out how you could improve your experiment to make it more of a fair test - was the equipment sufficient? - did you follow the method - be precise - was data collection varied and fair? - any problems with the method? - was data collection varied an d fair? - is the correct equipment used? - extend scope of study - measured correct variables

Question 40

Evaluating the Conclusion

Answer 40

- were the conclusions a fitting reflection to the aims and hypothesis stated in the coursework? - did the study help to answer questions on this? - was this a good title/aim in the first place? - was the hypothesis specific enough to be able to be assessed easily? - was the location for the study appropriate? - if you were to repeat this study again - how could you have improved the accuracy of the results?