Fieldwork is when you go out and collect data yourself to find out the answer to a geographical

question.

The order of a fieldwork investigation

You can also then evaluate your field work after it has been completed

Making aims and hypotheses

An aim should state the purpose of your whole piece of field work
For example; a rivers piece of field work might have an aim such as……

To investigate how a rivers width, depth and velocity change as it moves down stream from the source

A hypothesis is a statement that is made at the start of a piece of field work that you intend to test.
For example; a hypothesis for a river’s piece of field work may be….
The width, depth and velocity of a river will increase as you move down stream from the source.

At the end of a piece of field work , in the conclusion, you will refer back to this hypothesis and state
whether the hypothesis can be accepted or rejected after looking at your results.

Your hypothesis or hypotheses (if there are more than one!) should be sensible and based on
geographical theory. It should also be possible to test these hypotheses safely.
What is wrong with the following hypotheses?

a)There is more rainfall where there is a full moon

b)There is more erosion when the river is in flood

The answers
a) This hypothesis is not based on any real geographical knowledge. There is no theory that states
that this is the case. Full moons are not linked to rainfall

b) It would be impossible to test this hypotheses as it would be unsafe during a flood, and difficult to
ascertain the amount of erosion occurring

Choosing your methods and sites

Once you have chosen your aims and hypotheses, you must choose your methods of data
collection that will help you decide whether you can accept your hypotheses or not.
For example if you were investigating whether a river’s width, depth and velocity changed as you
moved downstream you would need to….

– Measure the river’s width

– Measure the river’s depth

– Measure the river’s velocity

This would need to be done at various sites down the river’s course to test your hypothesis.
Further down the page you will find reminders of all the methods we have learnt to do

Choosing your sampling methods

Once on your fieldwork you need to ensure your sampling method is appropriate

1) Systematic sampling- using a regular interval or pattern

-For example. Asking a questionnaire to every 7th person who passes or sampling at every 10
metres along a line

2) Random sampling

This sampling involves selecting sample points or people by using random numbers to avoid bias.

-For example, get all the people in an area on a list from 1-99 and then use the random number table
to select which people you would give a questionnaire to
3) Stratified sampling– It is sometimes advisable to ensure different groups or types are
represented in your sample at the same proportions as they exist in real life

– For example if 30% of a town is young, 40% are working age and 30% elderly you could sample 3
young, 4 working age and 3 elderly people

Designing recording sheets

OK; you’ve picked your hypotheses, chosen your methods, sites and your sampling types. Now
you’ve actually got to make the recording sheets you will use to collect your data!

Recording sheets should always have….

-A title

-Headings for date, day, time, location with spaces next to each

-Other factors such as weather may also need to be recorded if relevant

– Enough space for all your recordings at each site/sample you will visit for this piece of data

-Tallys are the best option for counts

What is wrong with the following recording sheet for a pace of field work comparing traffic
at three sites?
The answers
– It does not have a title

– It does not have space for the date, time or weather

– All three locations are on the same column so they will be muddled together!

– There is not enough space for a tally for the traffic counts

This is a much better recording sheet

Traffic count Table

Designing Questionnaires
A questionnaire should…..

-Be quick and easy for the interviewee to answer

-Remind you of what to say at the start of each questionnaire (polite request, why you are doing it)

–Only have questions essential to your investigation

-Questions should be short, simple and numbered

-Include mainly closed questions with set responses with a tick box

-Not embarrass the interviewee (for example asking what sex they are or their age!) You should
visually estimate these things!

-End with a thank you for their help

You should also always complete a pilot questionnaire to iron out any mistakes. This is where you
send out a few copies of your questionnaire to some people to find out whether it is easy to answer,
whether some questions are worded in a confusing way, and whether you have made any mistakes.
What is wrong with the questionnaire below?
It is going to be used to investigate why different age groups are drawn to a tourist resort for their
holidays.

The answers
– It asks the interviewee their age and sex! Don’t embarrass them!
– All the questions are open which means it take longer for the interviewee to answer and you may not
get the responses you need
– The questions are not all clear (e.g. do you like it?- Like what!?)
– There are unnecessary questions ( e.g. how did you get here?)
– The introduction and ending comments are not polite and detailed enough

A better questionnaire
Actual Data Collection
When you go out into the field and collect data yourself , this is called PRIMARY DATA
If you use data that has already been collected or compiled by somebody else this is
called SECONDARY DATA
All the methods shown below are primary data collection methods.

In the paper 4 field work exam you must be as specific and detailed as possible when describing
methods, mention equipment , timings and stage by stage instructins
Field sketches
For some purposes it is useful to record the scene or landscape. A proper field sketch could be drawn
to show the main features.

1. Draw the horizon and foreground first, then add in important features
2. Next label the features you have drawn
3. Add a title to make it clear where the field sketch was drawn
Scroll down and compare your field sketch to the one below!

Traffic count
These can used to show how busy a certain road is.
You count the number of vehicles passing you for a set amount of time.

One road could be done at different times in the same day to see when peak traffic occurs

Or you could do several traffic counts in different roads to compare how busy they are ( these should
be done at the same time of day

It is easiest to record these in a tally chart

It can be best to have one student recording the data while each type of transport is called out by an
observer

Alternatively different students could count and record different sub groups and swap results later

Pedestrian count/ People Count

These can used to show how busy/popular an area is.
You count the number of people passing you at a set point in an area. This can be done…..

• In one area at different times in the same day to see when peak visitors occur
• Or you could do several people counts in different areas to compare how busy they
are ( these should be done at the same time of day)
• It is easiest to record these in a tally chart
Measuring channel width and depth and drawing a cross section of a river
The width of a river (bank full width)

1. Take a tape measure and two poles (sticks)

2. Place one pole on each bank
3. Stretch the tape measure from bank to bank touching the poles
4. It should be kept as taut as possible to be accurate.
5. Record the width in metres
The depth of a river
 1. Leave the width tape measure in place
2. Put a metre rule in the water, every 1m, until it just touches the bed of the river
3. Measure depth of the water in metres e.g. 0.25 for 25cm. so that width and depth
measurements are the same units.
4. Next measure depth from the bed to the measuring tape- this gives you bank full
depth
5. Repeat this every metre across the river width
Drawing a cross section graph from the width and depth data
A river cross section graph is a graph to show the width and depth across a river

You can follow the steps below to plot a river’s cross section
The line should be drawn with a ruler NOT freehand!
If you want to work out the river’s cross sectional area you can do the calculation

Width X mean depth

Measuring velocity of a river

The velocity of a river is the speed at which water flows along it in a given time frame.

It can be done digitally with a flow meter. They have a small propeller which you place just under the
surface of the water. A small digital read out then gives the velocity of the river
OR it can be done manually using a float, a tape measure and a stop watch

1. Measure out 10m down the river’s course using the tape measure
2. One person stands at the upstream part of the tape measure with a float
3. One person stands at the downstream part of the tape measure with stopwatch.
4. A person with a stop watch tells the upstream person to release the float and begins
timing it (in seconds). They stop timing when it reaches the end of the measured
section.
5. Write down the result
6. Repeat the experiment 4 more times if possible. By averaging several different
reading a better result can by obtained.
7. It is also a good idea to take the timings at several locations ACROSS at the site you
have chosen and take an average, as sometimes velocity is different in the middle of
the chanell compared to the sides.
Once you have your timings , work out the average time the float took to travel 10 metres.

Then use the formula below to work out the velocity

EXAMPLE:
Let’s assume that we measured the float 5 times over a distance of 10m. Our results were :
First time 28 seconds

Second time 34 seconds

Third time 36 seconds

Fourth time 30 seconds

Fifth time 25 seconds

1)First take an average of all 5 measurements to get an average time

Average = ( 28+34+36+30+ 25) / 5 = 30.6 seconds

2) Now use the formula to work out velocity

Distance / Time = 10/30.6 = 0.33

So we have a surface velocity of 0.33 metres per second

Measuring size and shape of river bed load

If you want to compare the size and shape of river bed load at various sites along a river’s course you
would need the following equipment.

– Callipers

– Ruler

– Roundness Index Chart

These are all shown in the image below

Instructions
1)Systematically sample pebbles at each site- every metre across channel do the following

2) At each point reach down with the index finger extended and select the first pebble it touches.

3) Grip the length of the longest avis on this pebble using the callipers and then take the pebble out
leaving the gap still between the callipers grips.
4) Measure the length of this gap in the callipers using a ruler

5) Now repeat this process for the width of the pebble

4) Also assess each pebble for it’s roundness using a roundness index chart.

5) Repeat this process at every metre you stop at across the channel (depending on the size of the
sample you want and the width of the river you may need to select more than one pebble for each
metre)

Using ranging poles to measure beach gradient and completing a beach profile
Sometimes, it is useful to study the profile of a section of beach, to compare its shape to another area
on the same beach, or a different beach entirely.

The profile is just the shape of the beach from the shoreline to the back shore

The equipment needed for this is

– A clinometer, A tape measure and Two ranging poles

1) Person A stands at the shoreline

2) The Person B stands a set number of metres from person A up to beach (measure with a tape
measure)

3) Person A stands at the bottom of the slope with the clinometer at a set level on a ranging pole

4) Person B holds a second ranging pole at the top of the slope

5) Person A sights the clinometers at the same point on the ranging pole held by B or from their eye
level and reads off the slope angle.

6) Angles going uphill are recorded as positive (+) angles and downhill as negative (-) ones.

Measuring the size and shape of beach material

The Theory
The material found on a beach varies in size and type as you move further away from the shoreline.

The smallest material is deposited near the water and larger material is found nearer to the cliffs at
the back of the beach.

Large material is deposited at the back of the beach in times of high energy, for example during a
storm.

Most waves break near the shoreline, so sediment near the water is more effectively broken down
by attrition.
How do you investigate if this is true in reality?
Description of method

1) Tape measure is placed from shoreline to back of beach to form a transect line

2) Every 2 metres a square quadrat is placed down

3) The dominant material inside the quadrat is recorded

(e.g. fine sand, medium sand, coarse sand, shingle, pebbles)

4. This is repeated at all several sites to take an average.

Measuring the movement of beach material

You can measure the speed and direction of long shore drift occuring along a coastline using this
method
1) Measure out 10 metres along the coastline with a tape measure

2) Place a float into water in the breakwater zone at the start point.

3) Observe and time the object’s movement across the pre-set distance.

4) Note the direction the float moves

5) Repeat 5 times

6) You can not down the direction the float was moving, and then work out the velocity in metres
per second, using the formula above

Data Presentation
You should be able to plot and read all the following types of graphs for both this field work paper
and your skills paper

(Line graphs, Bar graphs, Divided Bar graphs, Histograms, Radial graphs, Scatter graphs and Pie
Charts)
If you do not know how to plot these graphs go to the map skills section of the website and
you will find information on each type of graph there!

Data Analysis
Analysis is where you look at data and explain what it shows you- your explanations MUST be
linked to the aim of the investigation
You should be able to describe and explain patterns in any of the graphs listed above.

Lets have a go at doing this section of an old exam paper asking you to analyse data on a piece
of field work on tourism.
Hypothesis of the investigation: The age of visitors influences the activities they take part in within a
national park.

Firstly you need to complete the table like it asks above by adding 5 into the row for sightseeing
under 51-65 and add the total for sightseeing into the total column.

Analysis practice- Analyzing the results shown in the table

1) Firstly describe any relevant results to help with your investigation
In table 3 you can see that the younger age groups (under 20’s and 20-35 year olds) completed
activities such as walking, cycling, running and horse riding. The highest number of recorded activities
for the under 20’s is cycling with 5 people doing it, and the highest number of recorded activities for the
20-35 group was walking more than 5 km with 5 people doing this.
Whereas the older age groups (51-65 and over 65 year olds) completed activities such as walking less
than 3 km, sightseeing, bird watching, driving, shopping and visiting historical monuments. The highest
number of recorded activities for the 51-65 year old is walking less than 3km
and visiting historical monuments with 5 people doing it, and the highest number of recorded activities
for the over 65 year old group was sightseeing with 4 people doing this.

2) Explain what the results show you- linked to your hypothesis.

The results show us that age does influence activities. Lively and active activities are more popular with
younger people. Such as cycling, mountain biking, horse riding, running and jogging.
Less lively and less active activities are more popular with older people. Such as sightseeing, driving,
visiting historic buildings, shopping and bird watching
Walking is popular with all age groups and this is an exception

Conclusions
You should be able to decide if you can accept or reject your hypothesis based on data put in front of
you.
When writing your conclusions you should always do the following………
1. State what your hypotheses were.
2. State whether you have accepted or rejected each hypotheses
3. Say why you think it is accepted or rejected using evidence to back up your points
4. Give an overall statement about what your investigation discovered

Look at the data below and decide whether the following hypothesis can be accepted or
rejected.Support your decision with evidence from Fig. 5 and Table 3.

Hypothesis 1: The amount of traffic will be less further from the town centre.
On each road they chose one survey site close the town centre and one survey site far away
from the town centre

What would be the students’ conclusion about Hypothesis 1: The amount of traffic will be less
further from the town centre?
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….?

The answers
• Hypothesis is that the amount of traffic will be less further from the town centre
• Hypothesis 1 is incorrect / rejected
• No clear pattern on the four roads
• Two roads do actually show less traffic further away from centre
• For example on Queens Rd there are 285 vehicles recorded at the site close to the town
centre and only 278 at the site further away from the town centre
• For example on Robertson Drive there are 115 vehicles recorded at the site close to the
town centre and only 100 at the site further away from the town centre
• However, two roads actually show more traffic further away from centre
• For example on Wellington Drive there are 70 vehicles recorded at the site close to the
town centre but 78 at the site further away from the town centre
• For example on Cambridge road there are 316 vehicles recorded at the site close to the
town centre bu 320 at the site further away from the town centre
• But difference in amount of traffic variation is small on all roads
 • Overall, the investigation has discovered that the amount of traffic varies between
roads not distance from centre

Evaluation
After your field work is finished you should always evaluate your work. The exam is always asking
questions about the following ideas…
1) Was the data collection accurate and reliable?
Accuracy = The accuracy of each method depends on the quality of the equipment and the skill of
the geographers taking the measurement. If the equipment is faulty, or the geographer makes a
mistake, the results may be inaccurate.

Reliability = The reliability often depends on the size of the sample / number of times you
repeated the method to ensure your results were not a one off.

2) If it was accurate say why / If it was not accurate say why

3) How could the investigation have been improved if it was done again?
(think about how to improve accuracy, reliability and whether any other hypotheses could have been
tested)

Some good ideas for improvements are….

– Making a sample size larger to increase reliability.

– Repeating a method at either a different time of day or year to compare the results.

– Improving accuracy by using digital equipment ( e.g. a flow meter instead of a float and stop watch)