Fieldwork (Physical + Human)

What is a hypothesis?

A statement or idea that you test during an investigation

What is pragmatic sampling?

Choosing sample sites based on what is easiest or safest, not randomly

What is systematic sampling?

Collecting data at regular intervals

What is quantitative data?

Information that uses numbers

What is qualitative data?

Descriptive information that is not numerical, often subjective

What is primary data?

Data you collect yourself during fieldwork

What is secondary data?

Data collected by someone else

What is a risk assessment?

A plan to identify dangers and how to stay safe during fieldwork

What is the hypothesis of the physical fieldwork study?

The groynes at Rhyl stop longshore drift

Name one reason why the physical title is suitable.

Easy to investigate with simple equipment (e.g. metre ruler)

Name one reason why Rhyl is a suitable location.

Can get there and back in a day with enough time to collect data

List two potential risks of the physical study.

Drowning / Falling and injuries

How would you reduce the risk of drowning?

Check the tide times

How would you reduce the risk of falling/injuries?

Wear sensible footwear

What type of sampling technique was used for drop height?

Pragmatic

Name one reason why pragmatic sampling is beneficial.

Practical and safe in the field

The use of OS Maps is…

Secondary data

State one advantage of OS maps.

Shows distance from school so you can check if there is enough time

State one disadvantage of OS maps.

May be outdated (e.g. 2016) so features could have changed

Measuring the drop height of the groynes is…

Primary data / Quantitative

State one advantage of drop height measurements.

Repeated on 5 groynes so a mean can be calculated and anomalies removed

State one disadvantage of drop height measurements.

Only measured on one day so may not represent the whole year

How many times was the primary data collected (physical)?

5 times (on 5 groynes)

How were the drop heights presented?

Bar chart

Identify an advantage of the bar chart.

Easy to read and interpret

Identify a disadvantage of the bar chart.

Axis goes up in 20s so difficult to be accurate

Did you prove or disprove the physical hypothesis?

Proved (mean drop height 20.8 cm)

State one reason why the physical results are reliable.

Mean shows a significant drop height of 20.8 cm on the south side

State one reason why the physical results are unreliable.

Only completed on one day of the year

State one way the measuring of the groynes could have been improved.

Use systematic sampling

What would be the impact of using systematic sampling?

Bias is removed

What is the hypothesis of the human fieldwork study?

Tourism has a negative impact on the environment of Rhyl

Name one reason why the human title is suitable.

Easy to investigate with simple equipment (e.g. EQS)

List two potential risks of the human study.

Getting lost / Traffic accidents

How would you reduce the risk of getting lost?

Arrange a meeting point and take mobile numbers

How would you reduce the risk of traffic accidents?

Follow the Green Cross Code

What type of sampling was used for the EQS?

Pragmatic

The use of an environmental quality survey (EQS) is…

Primary data / Quantitative (though subjective)

State one advantage of the EQS.

Repeated 3 times so a mean can be calculated and anomalies removed

State one disadvantage of the EQS.

Subjective – scores may be over-exaggerated

How was the EQS presented?

Radar graph

Identify an advantage of the radar graph.

Easy to compare areas with different colours

Identify a disadvantage of the radar graph.

Axis goes up in 0.5 so difficult to be accurate

Did you prove or disprove the human hypothesis?

Proved

State one reason why the human results are reliable.

EQS shows significant differences – residential area scored higher in all categories

State one reason why the human results are unreliable.

Only based on one day (and it was a workday)

State one way the EQS could have been improved.

Construct a transect and use systematic sampling at equal intervals

What would be the impact of improving the EQS sampling?

Reduces bias