Lesson video

Hi there.

My name is Chloe, and I'm a geography field studies tutor.

This lesson is called field work: analysing, concluding, and evaluating microclimate data.

It forms part of a unit of work called weather and climate: how do they vary? This lesson is all about taking microclimate data that you may have collected around your own school site and actually analysing it, looking at it in more detail, and thinking about the whole inquiry process and what we have learned from it.

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to analyse and reflect on your microclimate data to create meaningful conclusions as well as an evaluation.

We need to start with three key terms which are going to come up in this lesson.

First of all, the term assumption.

This is what a geographer believes to be true rather than what they have evidence for.

An interpretation on the other hand, is what a geographer judges might be true based on the evidence they have.

And finally, sample size.

This is the number of pieces of data of one type that the geographer collects.

This lesson is in three parts, covering analysing, concluding, and evaluating.

We're gonna start with the first part about looking at analysing our microclimate data.

So here we are in our inquiry cycle.

We have formed a question, we've collected data, we've presented it, now we're onto the data analysis.

Geographers often start their analysis by making some simple descriptions such as commenting on the most or the least of something.

So here's a double axe seed bar chart showing wind speed data and air temperature data across four different sites on our school survey.

As Sofia says, "The highest air temperature was on the driveway while the lowest was behind the hedgerow." She's looking at the blue bars there and she's making some simple descriptions to start off her analysis.

Geographers also comment on any relationship they might see between the sets.

This could be patterns of consensus where there's agreement between the data or areas of conflict where there's disagreement.

Aisha says, "The hedgerow has both the lowest air temperature recording and the lowest wind speed reading." This would be an area of consensus in the data that she's picked out.

When geographers analyse spatial data, they try to find links between the data and specific places or features.

Alex recognises something here.

He says, "Areas with the highest temperatures have the sunniest aspect, and appear to also have the higher wind speeds." Let's take a quick look at the map to check that.

So areas with the highest temperatures, look at that one on the far left of the map on the school field, it's got a really red thermometer showing it's got a really high temperature.

It's also got the sunniest aspect and it's got the highest wind speed as well indicated by the dark blue billowing flag that's next to that point.

Sam says, "The sites with the highest wind speeds appear to have the greatest exposure in a south westerly direction, matching with the prevailing wind." So we can see our prevailing wind in the bottom right hand corner of the map.

It's coming in from the south west.

Sites with the highest wind speeds appear to have the greatest exposure to it.

So she's pointing out the field and the driveway to the school as having high amounts of exposure.

The artificial pitch and the area behind the hedgerow are more sheltered from that prevailing wind and she recognises that those areas have much lower wind speeds.

The colour of those flags is much lighter.

Let's check our understanding based on our double axe seed graph now.

Which of the following statements is not true? The driveway has the highest wind speed.

The driveway has the highest temperature.

The temperature range is 2.

2 degrees Celsius.

And the wind speed range is 1.

3 metres per second.

Remember, the range is the difference between the highest and lowest values.

Pause the video and check each of those statements again.

Which one of those is not true? Right, let's check which of those statements is not true? Yes, it's A.

A states that the driveway has the highest wind speed.

It doesn't.

It has the highest temperature but not the highest wind speed.

That's much, much lower.

The area with the highest wind speed you can see is indicated by the highest pink bar, and that's the field.

Once photographers have described their data, they try to explain it.

Now there can be lots of reasons why the data appears as it does.

For example, geographers will think about why the temperatures are different on the field and on the driveway, even though they both have very sunny aspects.

So both yet those areas, the driveway and the field have full sunlight, but their temperatures are slightly different.

So how is that the case? It must be that means that there's other variables at play.

Andeep says, "The driveway is warmer because it has a lot of traffic." Here Andeep is making an assumption.

He doesn't know that to be true.

There is no clear evidence that traffic has anything to do with temperature and especially is the fact he didn't measure traffic levels as part of the field work inquiry.

Therefore, and Andeep's statement is mainly based on guesswork.

It's definitely not based on the data that he collected.

Jun says, "The driveway is warmer because it's less open to the wind." So here Jun is making an assumption, but there's some geographical evidence for it.

The map suggests that the driveway is more sheltered.

You can see it's got a little piece of hedgerow there.

So while that could be a reason, Jun doesn't know for sure.

Now Izzy says, "A distinct difference between the two sites is the land use.

The driveway is close to the buildings and unnatural materials, and this may cause it to be warmer there." Look at the two little sections of map there.

The field is entirely grassland.

The driveway on the other hand has lots of buildings around it.

It would be a good thing to be thinking about that maybe those buildings are actually the thing that makes the difference in the temperature, is the thing that makes the driveway that much warmer.

Izzy has used an interpretation to explain her data.

She's used evidence from the map, but she also suggests that the land use is a possible reason.

Look at the wording that she's used here, it's very subtle.

"The driveway is close to buildings and unnatural materials, and this may cause it to be warmer there." She's not saying it definitely is the cause, but she's saying it's a potential reason, a possible reason for it.

She does not state it as absolute fact.

Geographers look carefully at the language they use to explain data, just like Izzy just did.

They avoid discussing what they believe to be true, which is an assumption, and instead try to find sensible explanations based on the evidence that they have collected, interpretations.

So Lucas is saying, "I believe this to be true." While Jacob is saying, "The evidence shows a possible reason for this to be true." Now there's a really subtle difference between the two, but it's a really important one.

Lucas is making an assumption.

He's saying, "I believe that this is the case," whereas Jacob is talking about what the evidence says, what the data says.

So that means that we shouldn't really be using language like Lucas', and instead we need to try to use language which is more like Jacob's.

Let's check our understanding of that.

Assumptions and interpretations in geographical analysis are equally valid.

Is that true or false? Pause the video.

Have a think and then come back to me.

Yes, hopefully you recognise that is a false statement.

Now tell me why it's false.

Yes, geographers should avoid discussing what they believe to be true, in other words, assumptions, and instead explain their data based on the evidence they've collected, their interpretations.

Those are much better.

Our first practise task now: look at the microclimate survey data that you collected on your school site.

First of all, describe the data using simple statements.

Then I'd like you to, for one of your descriptive statements, write a potential reason for that data.

Make sure your explanation is based on interpretation rather than on assumption.

So you're gonna need to write something and then check your wording very carefully.

Pause the video here so you can really take your time to develop your answer.

Let's have a look at those descriptions first of all.

Remember you are using fairly simple statements, so here's some of the things your answer may include.

The hedgerow had the lowest air temperature and the lowest wind speed readings.

The driveway, however, had the highest air temperature and high, but not the highest wind speed readings.

Very straightforward, descriptive statements.

Now we're moving on from that descriptive statements and we're thinking of a potential reason for the data.

Remember, we're going to be looking for interpretations rather than assumptions.

Here's something your answer may include.

Temperatures at the hedgerow may have been low because the hedgerow itself was full of tall trees, which are likely to have created large areas of shade from the sun.

As the prevailing wind on the site is from the south west, the hedgerow may have created a barrier to the wind making the wind speed readings there the lowest.

Look carefully at the language that I've used there.

The tall trees are likely to have created large areas of shade.

The hedge rows may have created a barrier.

The language is very tentative.

It's saying what is a possible reason, but it is not stating it as fact 'cause we don't know for sure that that is the case.

Now let's move on to the second part of our lesson.

We're going to be trying to conclude our microclimate data.

So we're coming around the other side of our cycle now, we've analysed, we're moving on to the conclusion stage.

Geographers begin their conclusion by reviewing the main points of their analysis.

They need to decide which of their observations are most important and have the strongest evidence to support them.

For example, if the temperature in the natural areas was significantly lower than the manmade areas, this would be strong conclusive evidence.

This is not the data that we've collected, but is an example of the kind of thing we mean.

The hedgerow and the field showing much lower temperatures than the buildings and the artificial pitch.

Geographers can then answer their inquiry question.

Let's remind ourselves of our inquiry question.

We're looking at what factors influence the microclimate around our school site.

Alex is reviewing his analysis and the strength of his evidence, and he makes some notes.

Let's have a look at them on the clipboard here.

So he's looking for strong evidence.

Sites with barriers to their south west appear to have lower wind speeds.

So barriers, meaning things like hedgerow or fence lines, that kind of thing.

Sites in full sun appear to have higher air temperatures.

And sites with higher wind speeds appear to also have higher temperatures.

Those are the strong points that Alex has pulled out of his analysis.

He's also looking for weak evidence as well.

He recognises that sites have manmade features tend to have warmer air temperatures.

By drawing on the data that produces the strongest evidence, Alex is now ready to write his conclusion.

Let's now check our understanding about conclusions.

Which statement best describes a conclusion out of these four? Is it A, a summary of the main findings.

B, a balanced argument for and against a hypothesis.

C, a discussion of the evidence that most strongly answers the inquiry title.

Or D, an unbiased review of all the data.

Pause the video and have another read of the options and then come back to me hopefully with the right answer.

Did you get the right one? Well done if you recognise that it is C, a discussion of the evidence that most strongly answers the inquiry title.

That is the best description of a conclusion.

It may include a little bit of a summary of the main findings, but that's not the real main purpose of your conclusion.

The conclusion then addresses any hypotheses made at the start of the inquiry.

Let's review what those hypotheses were in our examples.

Jun said, "I believe the driveway will have the highest temperatures.

I have learned that paving can radiate the heat from the sun and increase the air temperatures." Jun's hypothesis can be accepted as the driveway does have the highest air temperature.

So Jun was absolutely right with his hypothesis.

Let's now look at our second hypothesis from Izzy.

She says, "I believe the place with the highest wind speed will also have the lowest temperatures.

The wind always makes me feel cold, so the two must go together." Izzy's hypothesis can be rejected as the field has the highest wind speed but not the lowest temperature.

The two have not gone together in our examples.

A rejected or disproven hypothesis is not a sign of problems in the field work inquiry, and it is not something to ignore in the conclusion.

Izzy's a bit worried about it.

She says, "So is my hypothesis wrong or is the data wrong?" How would you answer Izzy? Well, one thing's for sure, the data is not wrong.

It reflects the real life situation.

It's the data that you collected, so it must be true.

The hypothesis can't be wrong either because it was just an idea, but it can be rejected or disproven.

How about completing these sentences now to check your understanding? You're going to want to pause the video because there's a section to read and then see if you can find those two words that are gonna fill in those gaps.

Let's see what you put.

So a rejected or disproven hypothesis is not a sign of a problem in the field work inquiry.

It is not something the geographer should ignore when they write up their conclusion.

Now we'll move on to a practise task which is based on conclusions.

Write a conclusion in relation to your own data analysis.

State whether any hypotheses you made are accepted, partially accepted, or rejected.

Pause the video here so you can reevaluate all of your data that you had in your data analysis before you write that conclusion.

Let's look at the kind of thing that you could have written.

Your answer should include a statement that answers your inquiry question.

There should be a summary of the strongest evidence and a statement that says whether your hypotheses are accepted, partially accepted, or rejected, and importantly why you have done that with your hypotheses.

Now let's move on to the final section of this lesson and we're looking at evaluating a geographical inquiry.

So here we are at the final stage of our inquiry cycle, the evaluation.

In every field work inquiry, there will be things that go well and as expected and other things that do not go to plan.

Jacob and Laura are reflecting on their field work inquiry.

Let's have a look at what Jacob says.

He says, "The digital thermometer and anemometer made it really quick and easy to do the data collection.

It was also really accurate, both devices could measure to one decimal place." Laura then says, "I didn't like the colour palette I used for my choropleth shading on the map, some of the colours were too similar and I couldn't tell the difference between them." That is definitely one issue that can come up when you are using choropleth shading.

Being a good geographer means being honest about the shortfalls in their field fieldwork inquiry.

What is most important is that you say what you would change to make the inquiry even better.

Jacob has come up with something here.

He says, "If we were to do this inquiry again, I wonder if we could give used a light metre to measure how light or shady a place was? That would've made those measurements much more accurate." Which of these would be a valid criticism of the map that was produced for this inquiry? You can see a copy of it there.

Is it A that the symbols are too small.

B, the colours are too similar.

C, that the scale is wrong.

Or D, that a light metre should have been used.

Which of those is a valid criticism of the map itself? Pause the video and have a think about that and then come back to me.

Well, hopefully you got that the answer is B.

It could be the case that the colours would be too similar if you're using choropleth shading.

Now, while Jacob and Laura did mention something about a light metre and how that could have enhanced their study, that's not a criticism of the map, that is a criticism of the data collection technique that they used.

Geographers also reflect on the data itself.

They ask questions like, was there enough data? Was the data fair and reliable? In this inquiry, only four data collection sites were used.

Lucas says, "Can four sites really tell us everything we need to know about the microclimate of our school grounds?" Lucas has raised a really good point about the sample size in this inquiry.

It is not possible to measure aspect, land use, wind speed, and air temperature for every single part of the school grounds.

Therefore, a sample is chosen, which aims to be representative of as much of the area as possible.

It's very common for geographers to reflect on the size of their sample after they have completed their field work inquiry.

There is no perfect sample size: it's what is right for the size of the site and the practical constraints of the data collection.

So often it's this balancing act between trying to represent as much of the area as possible balanced against the amount of time, equipment, and help that is available.

In other words, all of the practical constraints that can rest around data collection.

So true or false? Geographers should always measure a very large number of sites in their field work inquiry.

Pause the video and have a think about what we've just discussed and then come back to me.

Well done if you got that it's false, now tell me why.

The sample size needs to be representative but also manageable.

Remember that balancing act.

Such as by being practically possible to measure in the amount of time available to the geographer.

Now it's over to you your final practise task.

Write an evaluation based on your microclimate field work inquiry.

Include the following points: a discussion about something that went well, a discussion about something that you would change and why, and a discussion about the sample size.

Pause the video here so you can make sure you've got all three of those points included in your evaluation.

Okay, let's have a look at the kind of thing that you could have included in your answer.

The data was very easy to collect and the digital thermometer and anemometer made the readings of the air temperature and the wind speed very accurate.

So there's something that went well.

If I were to do the inquiry again, I would use a light metre to measure the amount of sunlight at each site.

This would give me quantitative data rather than a description which would be easier to compare across the school grounds.

So there's something that this person would choose to do differently if they were to do the inquiry again.

Now there's the section on sample size.

The size of the sample was too small for the size of the school grounds.

Many areas of the grounds were not covered by the survey at all.

In the time that we had to do the data collection, we could have measured two additional sites, such as one on the most southern edge of the field and one on the other western side of the main school buildings.

This person has not only said what was wrong with the sample size, but they've actually made a suggestion for how they could have improved it.

Now let's summarise our learning for today.

Geographers analyse graphical and spatial data to find patterns.

These could be areas of consensus and conflict.

Geographers are careful not to rely on assumptions in their conclusions.

Instead, they try to interpret evidence in order to find reasons for their data.

In their evaluation, geographers will often comment on their sample size and whether it is truly representative of their whole survey area.

Sometimes analysing, concluding, and evaluating field work data can feel like you are writing an awful lot, and sometimes it's really easy to lose the momentum of the study.

By breaking it down into small sections and thinking about each little piece individually, it can make it a lot easier to manage rather than be thinking about those big paragraphs that might be coming your way.

So do follow the structure, break it down into small parts, and it will be much more manageable and much easier to put together.