COMMON METHODS OF GEOGRAPHY Common Method of Geography

COMMON METHODS OF GEOGRAPHY

Common Method of Geography 2. Qualitative Method 1. Quantitative Method Data Collection Analysis Presentation, etc. Case Study Conclusion, etc.

1. QUANTITATIVE METHOD • can be used to verify which of such hypotheses are true • Geographers use quantitative approaches to describe, understand, and assess geographic phenomena

DATA COLLECTION • is the process of gathering and measuring information on targeted variables in an established systematic fashion, which then enables one to answer relevant questions and evaluate outcomes.

ANALYSIS • a detailed examination of anything complex in order to understand its nature or to determine its essential features

PRESENTATION • Symbol or image that represents something. • Something offered or given

VISUALIZATION • the act or process of interpreting in visual terms or of putting into visible form.

MAPPING • is the creation of maps, a graphic symbolic representation of the significant features of a part of the surface of the Earth.

CARTOGRAPHY • the science or practice of drawing maps

STATISTICS • the practice or science of collecting and analyzing numerical data in large quantities geographic information system.

GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM (OR GIS) • is a system designed to capture, store, manipulate, analyze, manage, and present spatial or geographic data.

2. QUALITATIVE METHOD • produce information only on the particular cases studied, and any more general conclusions are only hypotheses. • Qualitative research is often used to gain a general sense of phenomena and to form theories that can be tested using further quantitative research.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE METHOD Qualitative Methods Quantitative Methods include focus groups, in-depth interviews, and reviews of documents for types of themes Surveys, structured interviews & observations, and reviews of records or documents for numeric information Primarily inductive process used to formulate theory or hypotheses Primarily deductive process used to test pre-specified concepts, constructs, and hypotheses that make up a theory More subjective: describes a problem or condition from the point of view of those experiencing it More objective: provides observed effects (interpreted by researchers) of a program on a problem or condition

Text-based Number-based More in-depth information on a few Less in-depth but more breadth of cases information across a large number of cases Unstructured or semi-structured response options Fixed response options No statistical tests Statistical tests are used for analysis Can be valid and reliable: largely depends on skill and rigor of the depends on the measurement device researcher or instrument used Time expenditure lighter on the planning end and heavier during the analysis phase Time expenditure heavier on the planning phase and lighter on the analysis phase Less generalizable More generalizable