Rural Fieldwork Methods
- The data collection methods depend on the aims/hypothesis of the fieldwork
- In rural environment fieldwork the only equipment which may be used is a digital decibel meter
- Other data collection may include questionnaires, traffic counts and environmental quality surveys
- Data collection should include both quantitative and qualitative methods
Questionnaires
- Questionnaires can be used to gather the opinions of local people on changes in the rural environment
- An example of a statement question would be:
- 'The building of the new housing estate has increased traffic.' Do you strongly agree, agree, disagree or strongly disagree?
- An example of a closed question would be:
- 'How long have you lived in this area?'
- An example of an open question would be:
- 'What are your views on the new housing development in ............?'
- An example of a statement question would be:
- These can be used to gather a large data sample
- People may misunderstand the question or lie and this would affect the reliability of the data collected
- Depending on the types of questions asked questionnaires can be qualitative or quantitative
Environmental Quality Surveys
- Environmental Quality Surveys (EQS) can be used to compare different sites within the rural area
- A survey would be completed for each site
- Care needs to be taken to be as objective as possible
- EQS are a qualitative method
- A range of sites needs to be collected to ensure there is sufficient data for conclusions to be drawn
- Depending on the time of day/year the data collected may change, this needs to be considered in the evaluation - at rush hour there may a much higher than average level of traffic
| Feature | Negative | -2 | -1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | Positive |
| Pavements | Pavements damaged and cracked in poor state of repair | Good quality pavements in excellent state of repair | |||||
| Buildings | Buildings look derelict and uncared for | Buildings look well cared for | |||||
| Litter | Lots of litter | No litter | |||||
| Traffic | Lots of traffic and congestion | No traffic | |||||
| Green space | No green space, trees or vegetation | Lots of green space, trees and other vegetation | |||||
| Graffiti | Lots of graffiti | No graffiti |
Traffic and Pedestrian Flow Surveys
- Traffic and pedestrian flow surveys can be used to compare the traffic and pedestrian levels at different sample sites
- They can be completed on a tally chart at different sites and at different times of the day, this will help ensure:
- Sufficient data is collected to be able to draw conclusions
- The data is representative
| Vehicle | 9am | 11am | 1pm | 3pm |
| Car | ||||
| Bus | ||||
| Lorry | ||||
| Motorbike | ||||
| Bicycle |
Photographs and Field Sketches
- Photographs and field sketches are qualitative data
- Just as with any data collection and presentation they have their strengths and weaknesses
- In a rural environment enquiry photographs and field sketches can be used to show changes in land use and impact on the environment at sample site locations
- Photographs are also useful for illustrating the data collection methods used
Worked example
You have carried out your own fieldwork investigating environmental quality in a rural area.
Explain one weakness in the method you used to collect quantitative data.
(2 marks)
Answer:
- Not enough data collected (1) so conclusions cannot be drawn (1)
- Reliability (1) in that it is not representative, e.g. time of day/year of data collection (1)
Exam Tip
Annotations and labels are not the same. A label is a simple descriptive point. For example, 'litter'. Whereas an annotation is a label with a more detailed description or explanatory point. For example, 'Large amounts of litter near to a playground where there are no bins available.
Rural Environment Enquiry Data Presentation
- Data presentation can take many forms
Primary Data
- Much of the primary data collected in a rural environment enquiry will be presented in the form of graphs:
- Each type of graph is suitable for particular data sets
- The graphs may have strengths and limitations
- Suitable graphs include:
- Bar graphs to compare the environmental quality scores at different sample sites
- Compound or divided bar graphs to show traffic counts
- Scattergraphs to show the relationship between factors such as proximity to land use change and the environmental quality of a site
- Rose diagrams to show noise levels
- Data presentation may also include maps:
- Sample site location
- Proportional circle maps to show traffic counts at different sample sites
Worked example
Draw an annotated sketch map or annotated diagram to show how you presented some of your fieldwork data.
(4 marks)
Answer:
- Map/diagram is clear and appropriately labelled with key/scale/axes comprehensible (1)
- Original data is obvious (1)
- Annotations make clear why method of presentation is appropriate (1)
- Annotations make link with enquiry question clear (1)
- Annotations make impact of the results on the enquiry clear (1)
Exam Tip
In the exam, you will not be asked to draw an entire graph. However, it is common to be asked to complete an unfinished graph using the data provided. You may be asked to identify the highest or lowest score or an anomalous result. When completing a graph:
- Take your time to ensure that you have marked the data on to the graph accurately
- Use the same style as the data which has already been put on the graph:
- Bars on the graph should be the same width
- If the dots on the graph are connected by a line then you should do the same
Secondary Data
- Any fieldwork should include secondary data as well as primary data
- In a rural environment enquiry suitable data may include:
- Historical traffic counts
- Maps of the area where the land use change has occurred
- Newspaper articles/websites about the land use change
- Aerial photographs
Analysis
- Once all the data has been collected and presented, it needs to be analysed
- The data which is collected regarding rural environment change such as environmental quality surveys and traffic counts is quantitative data and will be analysed using statistical methods
- One of the main statistical methods that may be used is the mean
Conclusion
- Once the data has been analysed, conclusions can be reached
- The conclusion should state whether the hypothesis has been proved or disproved
- Identify and explain any anomalies such as:
- A sample site that has a low traffic count but high levels of noise pollution
- Anomalies may occur due to a natural cause or maybe the result of incorrect recording or human error when using the equipment
Evaluation
- The final stage of the rural environment enquiry is the evaluation which outlines how successful or not the rural environment enquiry was and what could be done differently were it to be repeated. For example:
- Next time I would take measurements over a longer period of time to ensure the reliability of the data
- I completed the environmental survey on my own which is subjective, next time I would complete it in groups and take the mode score
- I think my investigation went well and I would like to repeat it at another time of year to see if this impacts the environmental quality
Exam Tip
The higher mark questions in the fieldwork part of the exam paper are often an evaluation of your enquiry or of unfamiliar fieldwork. The evaluation could be regarding data collection, analysis or your conclusion. The key factors to remember to include in your answer are:
- What went well: how do you know that your results were accurate and therefore valid?
- Is the enquiry reliable: Could it be repeated and the same results achieved?
- What could have been improved?
- What would you do if you were to repeat the enquiry?
