Introduction to fieldwork
Geography fieldwork involves formulating an enquiry question, gathering data, analysing the results and reaching conclusions. Fieldwork is often written up as a report.
Part of
Formulating an enquiry
Fieldwork in geography is all about following an enquiry.
A step-by-step guide to geography fieldwork, investigating sound levels in a typical high street
Types of enquiry
An enquiry is a question that you set out to prove or disprove. A hypothesis is very similar, though it is a statement rather than a question. Both can be either physical or human in nature:
- physical enquiries will look at natural landscapes, eg rivers or coasts
- human enquiries will look at environments that are created by people, eg cities or tourist resorts
Natural landscapes and processes are physical enquiries
City studies are human enquiries