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Geographical Investigation of Tourism in Chinatown

“What  makes  Chinatown  a  tourist  destination?”  

         

This booklet belongs to:

Name:

Class:

My group is:

Group Name:

Group Members:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

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1.1 Introduction

Background Information

Singapore is known as a multicultural city and one of the reasons as to why people visit Singapore is to experience its culture. Historic district such as Chinatown which used to house the Chinese community has been preserved to enable people to have a better understanding of the Chinese community. New infrastructures have been developed and improved on over the years for various reasons.

1.2 What are the tasks to be completed?

In groups of 4-5, you are to address the Geographical Inquiry question “What makes Chinatown a tourist destination?” Below is a checklist to guide you in answering this question.

Checklist

My group has completed...

Pre-field work phase 1 Constructing hypothesis (p4) 2 Discuss the method and type of data to be collected (p4) 3 Setting of a questionnaire/interview (Annex A)

Fieldwork phase 4 Conducting of interviews (p6) 5 Landuse survey (p6) 6 Observation and perception survey (p6)

Post fieldwork phase 7 Present data collected (p9) 8 Check validity of original hypothesis (p9) 9 Reflect on entire fieldwork process – challenges & successes

(p10)

 

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2.1 Sparking Curiosity

Sentosa Seng Kang

Source:

http://www.sentosa.com.sg/en/

Source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sengkang

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sengkang_New_Town

Which of the above site is considered a tourist destination?

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What are the factors that allow it to be considered a tourist destination?

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2.2 Constructing Hypotheses

Hypotheses are statements that form the basis of fieldwork. It serves to direct the focus of the investigation and shapes ‘how’ and ‘what’ data would be collected.

• A place is a tourist destination when there a diversity of attractions that are authentic, clean and safe.

• A place is a tourist destination when it is easily accessible from all parts of the country and has a wide range of tourist services that are clean and safe.

My group’s hypothesis:

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

2.3 Consider what data is needed

In your group discuss the types of data required to support your hypothesis.

Example

• Various possible sources of primary and secondary data (e.g. which group of tourists, and use ground floor data only?)

• The appropriate ways to collect data which is related to sampling methods (e.g. how do we select the tourists, how many tourists do we interview, over what period of time, do we consider the stalls on the street, do we take close-up photos and where do we stand to observe the place?)

• Ensuring that data collected is relevant to the inquiry, reliable and accurate (e.g. what are some of the ways in which we could ‘contaminate’ the data collected, do we need to consider the impact of other factors like the time of the day or year?)

2.4 Data collection methods

In your group, briefly discuss how you would collect your data.

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FIELDWORK PHASE

3.1 Gathering Data – Suggested Approach

Your group will be assigned one of the following streets a) Pagoda Street b) Trengganu Street c) Smith Street  d) Sago Street  

Using the map of Chinatown provided below, mark out the 4 streets and the meeting point with the teacher.

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3.2 Gathering and Recording Data (refer to student handouts) Each group is to further divide themselves into a smaller pair or trio to complete each of the tasks below so that they have a chance at applying each fieldwork technique. . Interview [Estimated time required: 30min]

In your pair/trio, you will have to conduct interviews with at least 20 tourists from overseas.

2. Landuse Survey [Estimated time required: 30min]

Instructions

• Each group will be designated to survey one of the streets. • You will first walk down both sides of the street (tip: do this in 2 sub-groups of

pair/trio). Using the street map as reference, each sub-group will plot the names of either the shops at the ground level or the shops on the second floor along the assigned street and annotate the goods and services provided by the respective shops. Eventually as a group, they will produce a neat and annotated landuse map of the street indicating the goods and services at the ground level as well as those on the second floor.

• Using the landuse map that they have drawn up, mark the points of accessibility and transport along the assigned street. For example, they should look out for bus stops or places where taxis are hailed along that street and mark them on their map. At bus stops, they should note the number of different bus services that runs through Chinatown. Annotate the information on their map so that it can be used for analysis later.

3. Observation and Perception Survey [Estimated time required: 30 min]

Instructions

• Each pair/trio will use a camera to take photographs of attractions, infrastructure and services for tourists which are found along their assigned street (tip: look closely for the evidence, sometimes they can be hidden.) Take note of their location and spatial distribution.

• Each pair/trio will use the perception surveys that the group has created to determine the environmental and cultural quality of the place as a tourist destination. Using the scale provided, each pair/trio will select the most appropriate option for each aspect stated. Use your camera to capture supporting evidence whenever possible.

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POST-FIELDWORK PHASE

4.1 Exercising Reasoning/ Reflective Thinking

Representing Data

The data collected can be represented in various ways (histogram, pie charts, bipolar graphs, etc). Effective representation of data will illustrate clearly the key findings (e.g. overall patterns and relationships, anomalies etc). You should choose the most appropriate way in which to present your data.

• Histogram This presentation tool can be used for the data collected through the Interviews, whereby respondents are asked on their length of stay in Singapore. In this case, the x-axis of graph will be 6 categories for length of stay in the questionnaire and the y-axis will be the number of respondents for each of 6 categories.

A sample histogram looks like this:

Source: http://www.drs32.com/Images/Length%20of%20Stay%20Graph.jpg

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Pie Charts

This can be used to represent the reasons for tourists to visit Chinatown. A sample pie chart looks like that below which shows a 3D pie chart created using MS Excel.

Bipolar Graphs

A sample bipolar graph looks like that below. It allows you to very compare two sets of data easily. Opposite adjectives are chosen and written down - some should be fact based, for examples ‘historical' and ‘modern'. Others should be value based, for example ‘ugly' and ‘attractive'. Different users can be asked to place a cross on a line between the pairs of adjectives, or assign a score for a particular variable

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source: http://geographyfieldwork.com/

 

 

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4.2 Analysis of Data / Offering Explanations

Analysing Data / Offering Explanations

1. Start from review of your inquiry hypotheses

• What is the purpose of your study?

2. Study the data you have collected as well as your graphs. Numbers and pictures have meaning.

• Do you see any patterns in the data? (e.g. Chinese cultural elements in Chinatown are a blend of the cultural practices of the Chinese, local ethnicities and western influences as seen in the evidence gathered from land transect)

• Do the patterns differ for the various streets of Chinatown?

3. Does the data support or not support your hypotheses?

• In what ways does the data support or not support your hypotheses? • Are there any other emerging patterns or anomalies to your data?

1. 4. Explain your findings.

a) Suggest some reasons why your hypotheses was supported or not supported, based on your knowledge, experience and any prior research you have done.

b) Are there any limitations to your data and evaluation?  

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5. Reflecting on the Field Inquiry Process

Reflecting on the Field Inquiry Process

Methods

• What challenges did you face during the collection of data? How did you resolve them?

• What is lacking in your data? What new data would you have collected? Presentation of Data

• Based on your purpose and inquiry question, why did you choose these methods to represent your data?

• Are there any other ways of doing so? How would it have affected your analysis and interpretation?

Analysis and Interpretation of Data

• How would you improve the analysis of data the next time? • What is still puzzling you?