Data Collection | Geography for GCSE/IGCSE - Year 11 PDF Download

Health and safety in the field

Data Collection in Fieldwork

• Data gathered by students during fieldwork constitutes primary data.
• Primary data examples:
  • Questionnaire data
  • River data (e.g., width, depth)
  • Video/audio recordings
  • Photographs
  • Interview information
• Data collected by others but utilized by students in their investigation is termed secondary data.
• Secondary data examples:
  • Census results
  • Weather data
  • Old photographs
  • Maps
  • Newspaper articles
  • Websites

• Quantitative Data:
  • Quantitative data pertains to recorded quantities.
  • Examples include numerical information gathered from questionnaires, traffic counts, environmental quality surveys, river data (such as velocity and discharge), and weather data.
• Qualitative Data:
  • Qualitative data involves descriptive information.
  • Examples encompass field sketches, photographs, non-numeric questionnaire responses, and interview answers.

Data Collection Methods

• Closed Questions: These types of questions limit respondents to providing specific answers, such as single words, numbers, or a list of options. For instance, "Are you satisfied with the product? (Yes/No)"
• Statements: Statements utilize a scale to measure people's opinions or views on a particular topic. For example, "On a scale of 1 to 5, how satisfied are you with the service provided?"
• Open Questions: In contrast, open questions allow respondents to provide detailed and unrestricted answers. An example would be "What improvements would you suggest for our services?"

Types of Questioning

• Questionnaires: Questionnaires are effective for gathering a large volume of data from a broad audience. They are structured and can be distributed widely to collect diverse responses.
• Interviews: Interviews involve more in-depth conversations and are typically used to collect detailed information from a smaller sample of participants. Interviewers can probe for elaboration and clarification during the discussion.

Environmental Quality Surveys

• Environmental quality surveys are utilized to evaluate the environmental conditions of various sites.
• These surveys rely on the judgement of the surveyor to assess environmental quality based on a set of indicators.
• Typically, a sliding scale ranging from 1 to 5 or a bipolar scale from -3 to 3 is employed.
• A lower score generally indicates a more negative evaluation of the environmental quality.
• These assessments are subjective as they are based on the surveyor's personal opinion.
  • To reduce subjectivity, surveys can be conducted in small groups to establish a consensus on scoring.
  • Alternatively, utilizing the mode of Environmental Quality Scores (EQS) from multiple students can enhance objectivity.
• Environmental quality surveys yield quantitative data, offering measurable insights.