How do you design research and fieldwork in Advanced Higher Geography?
Designing research and fieldwork: setting aims and hypotheses, choosing appropriate primary and secondary techniques, planning a sampling strategy and location, and piloting before collecting data.
How to design a research and fieldwork methodology in SQA Advanced Higher Geography: setting clear aims and hypotheses, selecting appropriate primary and secondary techniques, planning a sampling strategy and a suitable location, and piloting methods before collecting data.
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What this key area is asking
Before any data is collected, the investigation must be designed. You set a clear aim or hypothesis, choose techniques (primary fieldwork plus secondary sources) that will produce the right data, plan a sampling strategy and a suitable location, and pilot the method to check it works. Good design is what makes the data reliable and the later analysis valid, and the question paper rewards understanding why each choice is made.
Aims, hypotheses and matching techniques
The aim sets the whole investigation. From it you decide what data you need, then which technique yields that data. A hypothesis (a testable statement, such as "pedestrian flow falls with distance from the town centre") sharpens this and makes statistical testing possible later.
- Primary data. Collected first-hand by fieldwork (stream measurements, questionnaires).
- Secondary data. Existing sources (OS maps, census, weather records) that add context.
Sampling strategy
Sampling matters because you cannot measure everything. The right strategy reduces bias and makes the sample representative, which is the condition for valid statistics. The choice depends on the aim: regular sampling suits a transect, stratified suits a varied population, random suits an unbiased general sample.
Location and piloting
- Choose a suitable location. Enough demand for the topic, with safe and practical access.
- Pilot the method. Test it on a small scale to find problems before the main collection.
- Refine. Fix ambiguous questions, unsafe sites or slow measurements revealed by the pilot.
- Record systematically. Plan how data will be logged so it is ready for processing.
Examples in context
Try this
Q1. Name the three sampling strategies and one feature of each. [3 marks]
- Cue. Random (equal chance, no bias); regular or systematic (fixed intervals, even coverage); stratified (subgroups sampled in proportion).
Q2. Why is a pilot study carried out before the main data collection? [2 marks]
- Cue. To test the method, reveal problems (ambiguous questions, unsafe sites), and improve reliability before collecting the full data set.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of SQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
SQA AH gathering5 marksDescribe how you would plan a fieldwork investigation, including aims, techniques and sampling, for a chosen geographical topic.Show worked answer →
A planned investigation starts from a clear aim or hypothesis, then selects techniques that will produce the data needed to test it. For example, to test whether a river's velocity increases downstream you would gather velocity, width and depth at several sites, using stream analysis, and support it with secondary data such as maps and rainfall records.
A full answer states an aim or hypothesis, chooses appropriate primary technique(s) matched to it, identifies the secondary sources, and sets out a sampling strategy (random, regular or stratified) and a suitable location. The strongest answers justify each choice (why this technique, why this sampling) and mention piloting the method to check it works before the main collection.
SQA AH gathering4 marksExplain why a pilot study and a clear sampling strategy improve the quality of fieldwork data.Show worked answer →
A pilot study tests the method on a small scale before the main collection, revealing problems such as an ambiguous questionnaire item, an unsafe site or a measurement that takes too long, so they can be fixed. This improves reliability and saves wasted effort.
A clear sampling strategy ensures the data fairly represents the area or population and reduces bias: random sampling gives every point an equal chance, regular (systematic) sampling gives even coverage, and stratified sampling matches the sample to subgroups. Strong answers link both to representativeness and reliability, and note that a well-planned sample makes statistical analysis valid.
Related dot points
- Physical fieldwork techniques: beach profile, micro-climate, pebble, slope, soil, stream and vegetation analysis, including the equipment, the measurements taken and what each technique reveals.
The examinable physical fieldwork techniques in SQA Advanced Higher Geography: beach profile, micro-climate, pebble, slope, soil, stream and vegetation analysis. Covers the equipment, the measurements taken, and what each technique reveals about the physical environment.
- Human fieldwork techniques: environmental quality survey, pedestrian and traffic surveys, perception studies, and urban and rural land use mapping, including how each is conducted and what it reveals.
The examinable human fieldwork techniques in SQA Advanced Higher Geography: environmental quality survey, pedestrian survey, traffic survey, perception studies, and urban and rural land use mapping. Covers how each is conducted and what it reveals about the human environment.
- Questionnaire and interview design and implementation: writing clear unbiased questions, choosing open and closed formats, sampling respondents, and conducting interviews to gather reliable primary data.
How to design and implement questionnaires and interviews in SQA Advanced Higher Geography: writing clear, unbiased questions, choosing open and closed formats, sampling respondents fairly, and conducting interviews to gather reliable primary data for analysis.
- Evaluating fieldwork techniques: judging the reliability, accuracy and limitations of a method and its data, identifying sources of error and bias, and suggesting improvements.
How to analyse and evaluate fieldwork techniques in SQA Advanced Higher Geography: judging the reliability, accuracy and limitations of a method and its data, identifying sources of error and bias, and suggesting improvements to strengthen an investigation.
- Handling data types and sampling: distinguishing nominal, ordinal and interval data, and choosing random, regular or stratified sampling, so that the right presentation and statistical test can be selected.
How to handle data types and sampling in SQA Advanced Higher Geography data handling: distinguishing nominal, ordinal and interval data and choosing random, regular or stratified sampling, so the correct graph and statistical test can be selected for the data.
Sources & how we know this
- Advanced Higher Geography Course Specification — SQA (2019)
- Coursework Assessment Task for Advanced Higher Geography — SQA (2023)