What this lesson teaches
I can plan a fieldwork investigation with a clear question that can be tested in the time and with the tools available.
Syllabus K335, Topic 1.3, Key Question 1. How to design fieldwork?
Make a guess
Your class will measure water speed in a canal on an afternoon in Singapore. Which risk to yourselves should you plan for first?
- Nothing, because fieldwork is just walking around.
- Rising water and lightning if a storm arrives.
- Disturbing residents by stopping them for survey questions.
- Sunburn from standing in the open.
Show the answer
Rising water and lightning if a storm arrives.
Afternoon thunderstorms are common in Singapore, and canals can fill with fast-flowing water within minutes of heavy rain. That risk needs a clear measure.
For each risk, say who could be harmed and how, then give one measure that makes the harm less likely or less serious.
Fieldwork happens outside the classroom, so the site itself can cause harm. A risk is a chance that someone or something gets hurt. Plan for three groups: yourself and your team, other people at the site, and nature. Exam questions often ask for one risk and one measure for each group.
Risks to yourself depend on the place and the weather. Singapore is hot and humid all year, so long work in the midday sun can cause heat exhaustion. Thunderstorms with lightning are common, especially in the afternoon. Wet paths are slippery. Canals and large drains can fill with fast-flowing water within minutes of heavy rain. Roads bring traffic risk when you stop to count or measure.
Risks to other people come from how you collect data. A group standing on a narrow path can block cyclists, wheelchair users or people with prams. Asking strangers questions can make them feel pressured. Writing down names, block numbers or photos of faces can harm their privacy if the data are lost or shared.
Risks to nature come from your presence. Leaving marked paths tramples plants and packs down the soil. Turning over stones or catching animals can kill them or break their habitat. Litter, such as dropped forms and plastic, stays behind after you leave.
Sort these
Who could be harmed? Sort each fieldwork risk.
Groups: Risk to yourself or your team, Risk to other people, Risk to nature.
- Walking off the trail to reach a better sampling spot
- Turning over stones in a stream to count animals
- Photographing residents' faces for a survey record
- A group of eight standing across a narrow park connector
- Recording temperatures in an open field at 1 pm
- Measuring water depth from a wet canal bank after rain
Show the answer
Risk to yourself or your team
- Recording temperatures in an open field at 1 pm Long work in the midday sun can cause heat exhaustion in the team.
- Measuring water depth from a wet canal bank after rain The student could slip into fast-rising water, so the harm falls on the researcher.
Risk to other people
- Photographing residents' faces for a survey record The photos can harm residents' privacy if they are lost or shared.
- A group of eight standing across a narrow park connector The group blocks cyclists and wheelchair users, so other users are put at risk.
Risk to nature
- Walking off the trail to reach a better sampling spot Feet trample plants and pack down soil, so the habitat is harmed.
- Turning over stones in a stream to count animals Moving stones can crush animals and break the habitat they shelter in.
A good measure is specific and fits the risk. "Be careful" is not a measure. "Measure from the bridge railing, not the canal bank, and stop work if it starts to rain" is a measure. Explain how it lowers the chance of harm or makes the harm less serious. Some risks cannot be removed, so the plan also needs a response: a teacher's phone number, a meeting point and a first-aid kit.
- Three groups at risk
- Yourself and your team, other people at the site, and nature.
- A good measure
- Specific to the risk and the site, and says how it reduces harm.
- Canals and drains
- Never enter; they can fill with fast water within minutes of heavy rain.
Step by step
Name the risk
Say what could happen and where, for example slipping on a wet canal bank.
Say who is harmed
Yourself, other people at the site, or nature.
Give a matched measure
One specific action, and how it lowers the chance or the harm.
Worked example: Turn a vague answer into a marked answer
Weak: "Students might get hurt, so they should be careful." Strong: "Students measuring flow speed may slip on the wet canal bank and fall into fast water after rain. They should measure only from the bridge, which has a railing. They should stop work when rain starts, because the water level can rise quickly." The strong answer names the risk, the place, the cause and a matched measure.
Watch out for this
Safety only means keeping my own group safe.
Examiners also expect risks to other people at the site and to nature. A survey can harm a stranger's privacy, and a path study can damage plants.
Check your understanding
Students will count pedestrians at a busy road junction for two hours. Which measure best reduces a risk to the students themselves?
- Remind everyone to be careful near the junction before starting.
- Collect only the first names of the pedestrians counted.
- Count from the pavement in pairs, never stepping onto the road.
Show the answer
Count from the pavement in pairs, never stepping onto the road.
Yes. It names the traffic risk at this site and a specific action that keeps students out of it.