Topic 6 - Fieldwork Flashcards
What are the 6 stages of Fieldwork?
1) Question / Hypothesis
2) Data Collection + Risk Assessment
3) Data Presentation
4) Data Analysis
5) Conclusion
6) Evaluation
What is a Question/Hypothesis?
An idea which is to be tested, it can be either proved or rejected
What is Primary Data?
Data which you collect yourself
What is secondary data?
Data that somebody else has collected
What is quantitative data?
Numerical Data
What is qualitative data?
Non-numerical, opinion based data
What is a risk assessment?
An assessment identifying how to maintain safety, being prepared in order to mitigate the risk of injury
What are examples of primary data?
- Questionnaires
- Interviews
- Counts
What are examples of secondary data?
- Published articles
- Books
- Census Data
What is an example of quantitative data?
- Counts (e.g Traffic counts)
* Measurements (e.g Beach Width)
What are examples of qualitative data?
- Interviews
* Photos
What is random sampling?
Collecting the data at random
What is systematic sampling?
Samples are chosen at regular intervals
What is stratified sampling?
Collecting equal samples from different groups of a population to ensure fair representation
What are 5 data presentation methods?
- Line charts
- Bar charts
- Pie Charts
- Radar diagrams
- Scatter Charts
What are line charts used to present?
A continuous set of data
What are bar charts used to represent?
A non-continuous set of data
What are Pie charts used to present?
Proportions
What are radar diagrams used to present?
Lots of data with many different factors on a single graph
What are scatter graphs used to present?
a continuous set of data
What are the 6 stages of Data Analysis?
1) Describe the data (overall trend)
2) Identify Patterns
3) Identify any anomalies
4) Make links between data sets (Link between Primary and Secondary Data sets)
5) Explain the data (context)
6) Statistics (MEAN, MODE, RANGE)
(Basically PEAK + Explanation + Link)
(PEAKEL)
What are the advantages of Random Sampling?
- Useful for large samples
- Avoids Bias
- Can be flexible as sample may not be possible in every location
What are the disadvantages of Random Sampling?
*Might miss parts of a population
What are the advantages of Systematic Sampling?
- Straightforward
* Ensures good coverage
What are the disadvantages of Systematic Sampling?
- Time consuming
* Sample may not be possible in every location
What are the advantages of Stratified Sampling?
- Ensures representation of different populations
* Can be flexible as sample may not be possible in every location
What are the disadvantages of Stratified Sampling?
*Hard to establish the proportions of sub populations
What is an example of a physical hypothesis?
“Hard engineering prevents Long Shore Drift moving sediment at Swanage”
Why is “Hard engineering prevents Long Shore Drift moving sediment at Swanage” a suitable hypothesis?
- We study hard engineering and Long Shore Drift
- Swanage has hard engineering (Groynes)
- It only requires simple equipment to collect the data (does not require specialist technology)
Why is Swanage a suitable location to test the hypothesis “Hard engineering prevents Long Shore Drift moving sediment at Swanage”?
- Swanage has hard engineering (Groynes)
- Longshore Drift occurs at Swanage
- The beach is public access
What are 4 risks for physical fieldwork?
- Tripping over
- Drowning
- Getting lost
- Heat Stroke
How do you mitigate the risk of tripping over?
Wear sensible shows and be careful where you place your feet, this will mitigate the risk of you twisting your ankle or tripping over due to a protruding rock
How do you mitigate the risk of drowning?
Stay 5m from the sea and face the sea when collecting data, this prevents a wave catching you unaware and knocking you into the sea
How do you mitigate the risk of getting lost?
Bring a map and be familiar with how to use it. Also ensure you know where the agreed meeting location is
How do you mitigate the risk of heat stroke?
Take sun lotion and a hat
What is a possible Quantitative Primary data source for testing “Hard engineering prevents Long Shore Drift moving sediment at Swanage”
Groyne height drop survey
What is reliability?
The extent to which your investigation produced consistent results (repeatability)
What is accuracy?
How close your data is to the true value (correct to what degree)
Why would a random spot on a groyne be used when conducting a groyne height drop survey?
- It may not be possible to sample the same point on every groyne
- Removes Bias
- Makes it easier and faster for large sample sizes
What is an example of a human question/hypothesis?
“Tourism has an environmental impact in Swanage”
Why is “Tourism has an environmental impact in Swanage” a suitable hypothesis?
- Swanage has high levels of tourism
* It is easy to collect data (does not require specialist equipment)
Why is Swanage a suitable location to test the hypothesis “Tourism has an environmental impact in Swanage”?
- It has high levels of tourism
* The beach is public access
What is the Butler Model?
A model describing the life cycle of a tourism resort
What are 4 risks for a human fieldwork?
- Heat Stroke
- Traffic Accidents
- Getting Lost
- Tripping Over
In what section is risk assessment included?
Data collection
How do you mitigate the risk of traffic accidents?
Always cross at traffic lights or zebra crossings
How are tourism locations represented on an OS map?
light blue
What Primary Quantitative source of data would be used to test the hypothesis “Tourism has an environmental impact in Swanage”?
Environmental Quality Survey (EQS)
What are the advantages of using secondary data?
- Allows you to collect data for another time period
- May prevent Bias
- Faster
What are the advantages of radar graphs?
- Simple and easy to plot - increasing accuracy
- Has high number of axes (usually 4)
- Area shows totals which clearly enhance interpretation
What are the disadvantages of radar graphs?
*Does not show locations meaning it may be difficult to explain anomalies
What is geolocating a graph?
Overlaying the graph on its position on a map to show the location
How can you fix the fact that radar diagrams do not show location?
Geolocate the graph
What is validity?
How suitable was your method for answering the question is was intended to?
How can you increase reliability?
- Increase the sample size
* Go on a different day (weekday vs weekend) (Weather Conditions)
What are the limitations of a photo analysis?
The photo may show a warped perception of the location and may be biased
What are the limitations of a survey/
- It is subjective - this may make the data inaccurate
* It may be carried out over a small time frame - this may make the data unreliable
How can you resolve the issue of Surveys taking place over a short period of time?
Carry it out over numerous days. This will make the data more reliable
How can you resolve the issue of surveys being subjective?
Create a key to standardise the ratings. This will make the data more accurate
Why does a larger sample size produce more reliable data?
It is easier to identify an anomaly
What does evaluating your fieldwork help you achieve?
Evaluation means that you can identify how you could have made your investigation more ACCURATE and more RELIABLE in order to achieve a more VALID result
