Contents 1 Formulating fieldwork topics 2 Setting hypothesis

Contents • 1. Formulating fieldwork topics • 2. Setting hypothesis • 3. Choosing fieldwork site and time • 4. Deciding data collection methods

1. Formulating fieldwork topics • We should base on space, places and environments to come up with a research focus, and then set up the fieldwork topic • Two sources of inspirations for finding a fieldwork topic: ▪ Daily life ▪ Geography topics that we are interested in Contents

1. Formulating fieldwork topics Examples of research foci and fieldwork topics Example of research focus Example of fieldwork topic To study the spatial variation of a geographical phenomenon/feature Relationship between temperature and distance from the city centre To study the difference of a geographical phenomenon/feature among different places Difference in relative humidity between forest and grassland To study the overall distribution Distribution of high-tech pattern of a particular geographical industries feature To study the relationship among humans, geographical feature and the environment Contents Effects of population density on river water quality

2. Setting hypothesis • A hypothesis describes the relationship between two or more variables • It must be testable and reproducible • E. g. the fieldwork topic of ‘the relationship between temperature and distance from the city centre’ ▪ Hypothesis: ‘the longer distance from the city centre, the lower the temperature’ ▪ Variables: ‘distance from the city centre’ and ‘temperature’ Contents

2. Setting hypothesis Examples of Geography topics and the corresponding hypotheses Geography Example of fieldwork topic Example of hypothesis River Variation of river velocity in different river sections River velocity increases towards the lower course Coast Size of sediments on a beach The further away from the coast, the larger the sediments Distribution of high-tech industries High-tech industries agglomerate in regions with better environmental quality Industry Contents

2. Setting hypothesis Examples of Geography topics and the corresponding hypotheses (cont’d) Geography Example of fieldwork topic City Relationship between urban environmental quality and distance from the city centre Example of hypothesis Urban environmental quality deteriorates with reducing distance from the city centre The higher the degree of Relationship between Agriculture urbanisation, the smaller urbanisation and farm size the farm Relationship between Vegetation slope aspect and amount of vegetation cover Contents Denser vegetation is found on south-facing slopes than north-facing slopes

3. Choosing fieldwork site and time A. Site • Points to pay attention to when choosing a fieldwork site: ▪ Compatibility: the site should match with the fieldwork topic ◦ E. g. Lam Tsuen River is a possible option for a river study ▪ Accessibility: places that are easy to get to save transport costs and time ◦ E. g. close to bus stops and footpaths Contents

3. Choosing fieldwork site and time A. Site ▪ Safety: dangerous locations increase the risk of fieldwork ◦ E. g. Steep or wet slopes, rivers after rainstorms, crime hotspots in inner cities, and remote areas ▪ Site size ◦ Too large: time-consuming ◦ Too small: data collected will be insignificant Contents

3. Choosing fieldwork site and time B. Time • Points to consider when deciding the fieldwork time: ▪ Safety: condition of the natural environment changes with time ◦ E. g. safer and more comfortable to conduct river fieldwork in autumn when the precipitation is lower ▪ Focus of fieldwork: a suitable timing for the fieldwork depends on its focus ◦ E. g. if ‘customer flow in shopping mall’ is studied, conduct the fieldwork on both weekdays and weekends for comparison Contents

3. Choosing fieldwork site and time B. Time Examples of fieldwork foci and the suitable timing to conduct the fieldwork Examples of fieldwork focus Customer flow in a shopping mall Coastal sediments Traffic congestion Agricultural inputs Contents Suitable timing Reason To compare the difference in Weekdays and customer flow in the shopping weekends mall between weekdays and weekends Low tide period Easier to observe and collect coastal sediments Peak hours Traffic congestion usually takes place during peak hours Spring and Summer In most cases, spring is the seeding season and summer is the growing season

4. Deciding data collection methods A. Types of data • Quantitative data is shown in numbers • Qualitative data is shown in text • Primary data refers to self-collected and unprocessed data, mainly from conducting fieldwork • Secondary data refers to processed data collected by others, e. g. newspapers and maps Contents

4. Deciding data collection methods B. Sampling i. Scale • We usually draw samples to represent the population • The sample size should be sufficiently large for our rough understanding on the population within our capability • Larger sample size ▪ More representative sample ▪ Higher data reliability ▪ Not easily affected by extreme data Contents

B. Sampling 4. Deciding data collection methods ii. Time • Time consistency is important when samples are taken at different locations of a fieldwork site. • E. g. the data of wave frequencies may be affected by tides or wind Contents

4. Deciding data collection methods B. Sampling iii. Methods Common sampling methods with their merits and demerits Random sampling Content Steps Contents Assign a code for each member in the population, then draw samples randomly Example: To study the income distribution pattern of households in a residential building 1. Obtain the total number of households in the building e. g. 400 2. Assign a code for each household 3. With the use of a computer, draw random samples of 100 households

B. Sampling >> iii. Methods 4. Deciding data collection methods Common sampling methods with their merits and demerits (cont’d) Random sampling Merit Demerit • Chance of being selected is • Not applicable when the equal for each member in the population size is uncertain population as code assignment is • Easy to conduct impossible • Time-consuming if the population size is very large • Minority groups in the population may be ignored Contents

B. Sampling >> iii. Methods 4. Deciding data collection methods Common sampling methods with their merits and demerits (cont’d) Systematic sampling Content Steps Contents Draw samples from the population at fixed intervals Example: To study the distribution of sediment size on a beach 1. Use the measuring tape to set a transect from the swash and backwash zone to the backshore 2. Draw sediment samples at fixed intervals (e. g. every 10 metres)

B. Sampling >> iii. Methods 4. Deciding data collection methods Common sampling methods with their merits and demerits (cont’d) Systematic sampling Merit • Samples are drawn evenly • Easy to conduct Contents Demerit • Need to know the approximate population size • Not applicable when the population are sorted in a specific order

B. Sampling >> iii. Methods 4. Deciding data collection methods Common sampling methods with their merits and demerits (cont’d) Stratified sampling Content Divide the population into strata according to different characteristics, then draw random samples from each stratum Steps Example: To study the land use pattern of a district 1. Classify all land parcels into sub-groups according to land use, such as commercial land use, transport land use and institutional land use 2. Draw random samples for each land use sub-group Contents

B. Sampling >> iii. Methods 4. Deciding data collection methods Common sampling methods with their merits and demerits (cont’d) Stratified sampling Merit • Able to cover all sub-groups • Able to compare the relationship among strata Contents Demerit • May be difficult to define different strata • Time-consuming to identify the population size of each stratum, process and analyse data

B. Sampling >> iii. Methods 4. Deciding data collection methods Common sampling methods with their merits and demerits (cont’d) Quota sampling Content Steps Contents Purposefully draw representative samples from the population Example: To study the commuting habit of residents in a district 1. The researcher believes income may affect the choice of commuting methods, and decides to conduct questionnaire surveys with 90 residents 2. The researcher sets three sample quotas, including ‘ 30 residents with mean monthly income below or equal to $10, 000’, ‘ 30 residents with mean monthly income between $10, 001 and $50, 000’ and ‘ 30 residents with mean monthly income above $50, 000’ 3. The researcher selects suitable residents to conduct the questionnaire surveys until all sample quotas are filled up

B. Sampling >> iii. Methods 4. Deciding data collection methods Common sampling methods with their merits and demerits (cont’d) Quota sampling Merit • Applicable when the population size is uncertain • Time-saving Contents Demerit • Easy to have bias and errors as samples are not randomly drawn

4. Deciding data collection methods C. Data collection methods i. Questionnaire surveys • To collect the subjective opinions of targeted respondents through a series of questions • With high anonymity and ability to quantify the viewpoints • Widely used in urban studies and agricultural studies Contents

C. Data collection methods >> 1. Questionnaire surveys 4. Deciding data collection methods • Principles of designing an appropriate questionnaire survey: ▪ Questions must be relevant to the fieldwork topic ▪ Questions should be simple and easy to understand; avoid using technical terms ▪ Each question should focus on one main point only ▪ Avoid leading questions ▪ Quantifiable answers ▪ Provide fair and comprehensive options; a neutral option should also be provided ▪ Can include a mix of closed-ended and open-ended questions Contents

C. Data collection methods >> 1. Questionnaire surveys 4. Deciding data collection methods • Limitations of questionnaire surveys ▪ Include simple questions only ▪ Omit detailed qualitative opinions ▪ Arbitrary answers and conformity responses make the results realistic ▪ Conclusion depends on the respondents Contents

C. Data collection methods 4. Deciding data collection methods ii. Observation • Make observations and give objective descriptions about the characteristics of the study targets ▪ E. g. identify the land use type of a building by observing its features such as name and appearance • We can quantify the observation results by assessment Contents

C. Data collection methods >> 2. Observation 4. Deciding data collection methods Examples of assessment form on the sustainability level of a city Assessment item Social Economic Environmental Contents Ratio of public housing to private housing Number of commercial institutions Area of green space Assessment criteria 3 High 2 Medium 1 Low 3 Large 2 Moderate 1 Small

C. Data collection methods >> 2. Observation 4. Deciding data collection methods • Merits of assessment: ▪ Lower cost ▪ Lower technical requirements ▪ Different groups can collect data simultaneously ▪ Quantify qualitative data ▪ Time-efficient • Demerit of assessment: ▪ Subjective judgement may lead to the variation of data collected Contents

C. Data collection methods 4. Deciding data collection methods iii. Field surveys • Use different instruments to collect objective data for hypothesis testing Contents

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