Geography·Research Techniques and Map Reading Skills · NSSCO 4.1
Geographical research & enquiry skills
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Geography is not just something you read — it is something you go out and investigate. In this lesson we learn the geographical enquiry itself: the step-by-step method behind every fieldwork project and the whole of Paper 3. We choose a question and state an aim and hypothesis, collect data using questionnaires, observations, counts and measurements, and learn the three fair ways to take a sample — random, systematic and stratified. Then we present our findings in the right form — graphs, tables, maps, isolines and flow lines — before drawing a conclusion and honestly evaluating our work.
What you'll learn in this lesson
By the end you should be able to (NSSCO Geography 4.1):
- Explain what a geographical enquiry is, and identify a problem/research topic and state the objectives
- Apply methods of data collection: interviews, questionnaires, sampling, observations, simple surveys (counts and measurements), document studies and recording sheets
- Differentiate between random, systematic and stratified sampling
- Demonstrate the ability to use and access information technology for data analysis and interpretation, and describe the advantages and disadvantages of data-collection methods
- Demonstrate the ability to analyse and present data collected in appropriate forms: maps, graphs, tables, isolines and flow charts
- Make effective conclusions and evaluations, suggesting solutions where appropriate
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