Introduction to Fieldwork Flashcards
What are the stages of fieldwork?
- Introduction and planning
- Method and data collection
- Data presentation
- Data analysis
- Conclusion
- Evaluation
Hypothesis:
An idea to be tested, which can either be proved or rejected.
Human:
Looks at environments that are created by people, e.g. cities or tourist resorts.
Physical:
Looks at natural landscapes e.g. rivers and coasts.
Suitable clothing for a river site fieldwork investigation:
- waders
- wellies
- waterproof jacket/clothes
- insulated clothes
- change of clothes
- waterproof trousers
- life jacket
- towel
Possible risks at a river site:
- breaking equipment
- getting wet
- falling into the river - drowning
- strong currents
- hitting head on rock
- hypothermia
How to overcome the risks at a river site:
- waterproof clothing
- staying cautious
- wearing a helmet
- medical kit
- rope
- checking footing
- phone
Quantitive:
Anything numerical e.g. wave counts
Qualitative:
Anything non-numerical e.g. a written description of the environment
Primary:
Data you have collected yourself.
Secondary:
Looked at other sources, used someone else’s sources.
Random sampling:
Selecting a person or a place at random.
Advantages of random sampling:
- easy
- non-time consuming
- unbiased, no particular people or places selected
Disadvantages of random sampling:
- not precise
- not fair representation
Systematic sampling:
Collecting data in an ordered or regular way (e.g.every 5 metres)
Advantages of systematic sampling:
- precise
- fair representation
- regular
- thorough
- unbiased
Disadvantages of Systematic sampling:
- time consuming
- more difficult
- might misrepresent certain subgroups in your data
Stratified sampling:
Collecting data from different group in a population to ensure fairer representation.
Advantages of stratified sampling:
- planned correctly
- easy
- precise
- subgroups in a population are fairly represented
Disdvantages of stratified sampling:
-slightly more time-consuming
Data collection at a river site:
- bedload size
- soil type
- type of sediment
- velocity
- management strategies
- river width
- river depth
- bedload shape
- fieldsketch
Accuracy:
How close the measured value is to the true value of the population.
Reliability:
How repeatable and consistent the measurements of an investigation are.
Validity:
How accurately a method measures what it is intended to measure.
Why is accurate methodology important?
- 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
Why do we need to present data?
- 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.
Graph types:
- bar chart
- histogram
- line graph
- climate graph
- scatter graph
- cross-section
Maps:
- OS maps
- contour maps
- chloropleth maps
- satellite maps
- road maps
- sketch maps
Photos and diagrams:
- satellite
- sketch/diagram
- photograph (annotations)
Which graphs are good for continuous data?
Line graph
Which graphs are good for percentage data?
Pie chart and bar chart
Which graphs are good for data that needs multiple axes?
Radar graph
Alternatives to graphs are:
Results table
Which graphs are good for categories (pebble roundness)?
Bar chart
Which graphs are good for showing relationships?
Scatter graphs
Which graphs are good for aiding our interpretations of spatial patterns?
Locating on a map, aerial photo
What is data analysis?
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
How do you write a good conclusion?
- 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
Evaluating Fieldwork
- 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
Evaluating the Conclusion
- 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?
