Generic Enquiry Task: Tertiary economic activity (2017 submission)
Theme / Generic Enquiry Task / Key Question / Page in Specification3 / Investigate the impact of tertiary economic activity on people and the environment / 3.1: How does economic activity affect people and the environment / 21
How the task may be contextualised:
Selecting this fieldwork enquiry task and deciding on a contextualised title involves careful study of the wording of the Key Idea 3 and Key Question 3.1 in Theme 3.
The first reference is to the ‘local’ nature of the fieldwork enquiry. Please note that this is a statement of ‘scale’ as opposed to ‘place’. In other words, the fieldwork enquiry should be conducted within a small geographical area but not necessarily one that is close to the school.
The second feature of Key Question 3.1 is that the effects of the economic activity must be those concerning water or air pollution or some form of damage to the land.
Contextualised tasks may be phrased as either a hypothesis or an overarching enquiry question. Two possible approaches may be offered as examples of suitable titles:
· The amount of damage around car parks in the Peak District National Park (PDNP) is related to the size of the car park. Or How and why does the amount of visitor damage to the environment vary from one location to another?
· Phase Two of the Nottingham tram will improve the environment of people living along its route.
The first is a comparative study that might be attempted using, perhaps, three sites. In the case of the PDNP a possible combination may be the car parks at Derbyshire Bridge (115 spaces), Burbage Bridge (40) and Nab Quarry (10). Car park locations and sizes may be found on the PDNP web site and a similar enquiry is possible in other National Parks or Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Potential damage by visitors may include footpath erosion and littering.
The second approach is also intended as a comparative enquiry in that findings from the already established route of ‘Phase 1’ of the tram may be used as a source of evidence for the projected impacts of Phase 2. Remembering that the Enquiry should be conducted at the local scale, a maximum of two small primary data collection areas along each route should be sufficient to draw out the intended comparisons. Possible contrasts may include noise and atmospheric pollution and the quality of the built environment.
Both approaches provide the opportunity for candidates to both collaboratively, and independently, collect data from both primary and secondary sources in order to target a clear hypothesis. They additionally allow them to independently select from their data bank the evidence they will process in order to support their investigation of the hypothesis. It is this aspect of each approach that is very important.
Titles that would not support hypothesis-testing are those that encourage a purely descriptive account, including little or no analysis; such titles as ‘Where tourists go in the PDNP’ and ‘The route of Phase 2 of the Nottingham tram’.
Primary/Secondary data collection:
The amount of damage around car parks in the Peak District National Park is related to the size of the car park.
Primary data collection opportunities could fall into two categories:
1. Those that investigate the actual damage resulting from visitors to the car parks: litter surveys, footpath cross sections, labelled sketches of damage within the immediate vicinity of the car parks.
2. Those that record management features of the car park designed to moderate the damage caused by visitors: a map of the car park area to show, for example, littler bins, a questionnaire of visitors to include the purpose of the visit. Such evidence will be useful to those candidates who wish to look for reasons beyond car park size to explain their findings.
Secondary data sources which will be most helpful to this task would include maps showing the locations of the car parks and a variety of web sites offering information on the footpath erosion:
www.peakdistrict.gov.uk/looking-after/rangers/footpaths
www.peakdistrictinformation.com/features/erosion.php
A slightly dated resource giving the views of some local people on the issue of rubbish in the PDNP.
http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=587507&highlight=rubbish+in+the+peak+district
News report on PDNP rubbish.
http://www.oldham-chronicle.co.uk/news-features/8/news-headlines/25264/mounting-tide-of-rubbish-blights-beauty-spot
Phase Two of the Nottingham tram will improve the environment of people living along its route.
Primary data collection will be aimed at investigating similarities/differences in the environments along the route of the established tram (Phase 1) and that due to open in 2014 (Phase 2). It may include sketching of street furniture, comparisons of noise and atmospheric pollution and an overall assessment of environmental quality using bi-polar surveys and/or questionnaires.
Secondary data will include maps showing the routes of the tram and a variety of web sites, both official and unofficial:
www.thetram.net/ The official site
www.bbc.co.uk/nottingham/have_your_say/tram_debate.shtml early debate on the Phase One tram development
Application AO2 (see page 36 of the specification)
The higher levels 3 and 4 of AO2 can only be accessed if students show links between their investigation and wider geographical ideas. It is therefore expected that included will be a consideration of linked Key Ideas from the specification and the application of evidence from localities where similar events have taken place.
Thus in ‘The amounts of damage around car parks in the Peak District National Park is related to the size of the car park‘ it may be possible to apply an understanding of management strategies to the current situation and to seek explanation of differences between car parks in relation to the presence/absence and degree of effectiveness of these. Similarly, it may be possible to weave into the analysis the applied experiences of a study of a similar situation in a different locality. It is important that such evidence isn’t merely ‘bolted on’.
Similarly, ‘Phase Two of the Nottingham tram will improve the environment of people living along its route’ offers the opportunity for the candidates to explore the area of alternative futures in relation to a city like Nottingham and to incorporate evidence from similar studies at a different locality.
How to encourage independent thought:
Independence of thought is important to both phases of the Enquiry. While the teacher will wish to retain much control of the primary data collection, all Enquiries offer the opportunity for a certain independence of data collection. It may not be taken up by all in the cohort but the opportunity should be given. Before embarking on the development of a controlled assessment item centres are advised to view the Powerpoint presentation on the WJEC web site advising on this matter. The possibilities described there are not endless but provide a very good starting point for departmental debate.
Independence in the ‘analysis and evaluation of findings’ phase is of equal importance. Candidates should be encouraged to select and process only the evidence from their data bank that they will find useful in pursuing the hypothesis. Additionally, individual candidates should consider the range of presentation methods and independently choose those that are wholly appropriate to the data being presented.
The wording of Level 4 of the Assessment Objectives is a reliable guide to encouraging independent thought:
o reaches substantiated conclusions (e.g. rejecting all sites and offering own justified site);
o links investigation to wider theories (e.g. retail models/bid-rent/central place theory/shopping hierarchy/economic mobility);
o asks questions about geographical futures (how/why might this location change);
o uses range of techniques/technologies to present information, (encouraging creativity);
o critically evaluates the methodology (e.g. how good was the evidence? How could it be improved?).
Centres are strongly advised to refer to the relevant Key Idea(s) and mark scheme from the specification when devising a new Fieldwork Enquiry. The support materials given to the candidates must ensure that those capable of doing so are able to access the highest marks for all three assessment objectives.