The human fieldwork investigation (dynamic urban areas, or changing rural areas): forming enquiry questions, selecting quantitative and qualitative methods and secondary data, presenting and analysing data, reaching conclusions and evaluating.

What this dot point is asking

This is Edexcel GCSE Geography B (1GB0) Paper 2, Section C (Topic 6, Geographical investigations), the human fieldwork investigation. Edexcel expects you to carry out one human investigation, either dynamic urban areas or changing rural areas, and to understand the whole enquiry process: forming suitable enquiry questions, selecting at least one quantitative and one qualitative method plus secondary data (such as census data), presenting and analysing the data, reaching conclusions and evaluating the investigation, especially how the methods could be improved. Paper 2 also tests unfamiliar human fieldwork.

Forming the enquiry question

A human investigation needs a focused, answerable question that connects to Topic 5 (the UK's evolving human landscape). For an urban investigation, a typical question is "does environmental quality improve with distance from the city centre?" or "has regeneration improved an area?". For a rural investigation, a typical question is "does this village function as a commuter settlement?" or "how has counter-urbanisation affected services?". The question must be testable with data you can collect safely in the field.

Selecting methods and secondary data

Edexcel requires a mix of quantitative and qualitative data, plus secondary sources.

To improve reliability, use a large enough sample, record on prepared sheets, and reduce bias (for example survey at different times of day and a range of streets).

Presenting, analysing and concluding

Evaluating the investigation

The evaluation judges the reliability and validity of the results. Identify limitations specific to human fieldwork: a small sample size, bias (surveying at one time of day, leading questions, choosing only certain streets), the subjectivity of environmental quality scores, and surveying only one area on one day. Suggest realistic improvements (a larger, more random sample, surveying at different times and days, more neutral questions, two researchers scoring independently) and explain how each improves reliability, then reach a judgement on how confident you can be.

Try this

Q1. State one secondary data source useful in a human fieldwork investigation. [1 mark]

• Cue. Census data, the Index of Multiple Deprivation, house-price data, crime data, or a historical map.

Q2. Explain one way bias could affect the results of a questionnaire and how to reduce it. [3 marks]

• Cue. Asking only people available at one time of day (for example commuters in the morning) gives an unrepresentative sample; surveying at different times and days, and a range of locations, reduces this bias and makes the results more reliable.