EVALUATING THE OUTDOOR LEARNING EXPERIENCE

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Qualitative Spatial Mapping Why qualitative spatial mapping? Recording location data using a GPS is increasingly easy now there are low-cost devices available. A GPSenabled device (for example, a smart-phone, camera, or watch) can record traces of where people go, and where photographs and videos are taken. These traces can be displayed, or visualised, on a map. Location data can also be linked to other types of data, such as photos, videos and audio data. Some devices can record accelerometer data, which can be used to indicate levels of physical activity. children learning how to use a GPS device at a country park, Wales These kinds of data, visualised in an interactive map, can be used for evaluating where visitors go at a particular site, or where people move during outdoor learning exercises. Evaluating Outdoor Learning Toolkit 2016 Page 41
The process: 1. Decide what it is you are interested in mapping. Do you want to map how visitors move around a specific site, how much time visitors spend in a place, or what captures people’s curiosity? Do you want to accompany the map with other data, such as participant’s thoughts or feelings in specific places, or photographs? 2. Choose the most appropriate device to use. A range of devices can allow you to record a GPS trace. There are purpose-made GPS devices, however free apps are available for smart-phones and some photo and video cameras have GPS technology that records the location of where photos and videos are taken. GPS devices are also in sports wristwatches. 3. Check the details of your device: what is the battery life? How much storage capacity does it have? What type of files does it record data in? How many devices will you need? Do you get good GPS signal where you will collect data – you may encounter problems in woodlands, and GPS devices generally do not work indoors! 4. Consider how you will recruit participants, and what instructions you will give them, depending on the activity. You may simply ask them to wear a GPS watch during a visit, or take GPS-linked photographs on a theme, or just what interests them. Consider piloting (testing) the technique you want to use FIrst before collecting all of the data. If you want to collect data from 20 participants, try the technique once FIrst, including displaying the data on a map, to check that the device works as you intended, and that you can successfully create a map from it. Once you are happy the technique works, you can collect the rest! 6. Take notes during the data collection – consider the weather during each period, the different groups of participants (e.g. age or gender), or observations of participants responses to the activity. You may also be able to observe participants as they record the location data. 7. Once you have all the data, consider how best to map it (see Qualitative Mapping Analysis section below). 8. Create the map: There are software packages that allow you to display GPS traces and way-points. Geographical Information System (GIS) packages, such as, ArcGIS and QGIS (freely available at www.QGIS.org) take more time to learn, but produce better quality images compared to free options such as Google Earth, and are more powerful in manipulating data (see analysis, below). 5. Collect the data: Give the device to participants with instructions of what you want them to do. Consider how to hand out devices to participants, how they will return them to you, and how to download and store the data. Evaluating Outdoor Learning Toolkit 2016 Page 42
Page 1 and 2: EVALUATING THE OUTDOOR LEARNING EXP
Page 3 and 4: A note about this toolkit This tool
Page 5 and 6: The qualitative research process Se
Page 7 and 8: STEP ONE Your research idea or eval
Page 9 and 10: STEP THREE Devising your methodolog
Page 11 and 12: STEP FIVE Collecting your data Usin
Page 13 and 14: The analytical Process Of course, t
Page 15 and 16: STEP SEVEN Writing Up How you write
Page 17 and 18: The second section of the toolkit w
Page 19 and 20: The process: 1. Find a place to car
Page 21 and 22: A conversational approach: The unst
Page 23 and 24: The process: 1. Identify and approa
Page 25 and 26: The process: The process involves n
Page 27 and 28: The process: 1. Decide what place y
Page 29 and 30: Map of a National Park created by L
Page 31 and 32: The process: 1. Decide when and whe
Page 33 and 34: The process: 1. Identify the settin
Page 35 and 36: The process: The wide range of mate
Page 37 and 38: The Process: 1. Decide what it is y
Page 39 and 40: The process: 1. Simple video editin
Page 41: A Conversation-Analysis Approach Vi
Page 45 and 46: The Process: 1. Consider the main f
Page 47 and 48: 18. Riessman, C. K. (2002). Analysi
Page 49 and 50: Evaluating Outdoor Learning Toolkit

EVALUATING THE OUTDOOR LEARNING EXPERIENCE

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