Class Notes | The Follow up Stage

Follow-up stage/post field study/discussion stage

This is the third and final stage of fieldwork. This stage is meant for re-organisation of the results/information collected through data analysis, drawing accurate maps, graphs, and tables, etc.

The follow-up stage involves the following activities;

·        Presentation of data collected. This is where each student and group of students present what they have collected in the field.

·        Making comparisons/relating of data collected. This is meant to come up with correct information from the different information collected.

·        Sorting/reorganizing/rearrangement of data collected. This is meant to reorganize disorganized data collected in the field so that it is easily understood.

·        Analysis of data collected. This is carried out to find out the relationships between the geographical phenomena and the cause of such a relationship.

·        Interpreting data collected. This involves attaching meanings and significance to information collected by explaining descriptive pattern, looking for interrelationships and linkages from the data.

·        Polishing of field sketches. This involves redrawing sketches that have been roughly drawn from the field.

·        Compiling/writing a fieldwork report. This records what was studied, how it was studied and the results obtained from the fieldwork study

·        Drawing conclusions. This refers to finding out geographical interrelationship in the area studied i.e. physical-physical, physical-human, and human-human relationships.

·        Making recommendations to stakeholders. Recommendations are suggested solutions to the problems facing the area studied.

·        Dissemination of findings of the study to the relevant authorities. This is where information obtained is organised and presented to the stakeholders in the area studied.

·        Discussion of the findings. Here the various individuals share and contribute towards the data collected.

·        Evaluation of the fieldwork. This involves finding out whether the intended objectives have been attained.