Access and sampling Flashcards
People difficult to gain access to?
- Celebrities
- Royals
- Prison population
- Drug users
- Old people
- Gangs
- Government officials
What strategy would you use to gain access to those difficult to access?
Snowball sample
- One who introduces you to someone else
Who are gatekeepers?
People through whom the researcher must go in order to access participants e.g. headteacher of a school
Are gatekeepers useful?
Yes, e.g. winning over the manager of a Women’s Refuge could help you gain access to survivors, as they are trying to protect those
What are target populations?
Researchers are usually interested in certain sections of society
What is census research?
Researches studying every single participant within the target population which would give a comprehensive understanding of the target population
Weakness with census research?
Can be extremely expensive
The British Census occurs every 10 years, why does the census not provide a detailed picture of the entire popuation?
People may lie when answering
What is sampling?
Researches must limit the number of people that they study, they must find a way of selecting a more manageable number of participants from the target population
What is generalisation?
Sociologists want to be able to draw conclusions about large numbers of people based on a study of a small sample
What is representiveness?
Researchers need to make sure the people they study are typical of the target population (characteristics such as age, gender, ethnicity and social class), can be representative and generalisations can be made.
- Otherwise we could accuse the study of sample bias
Why researchers take a sample?
Researchers take a sample to select a manageable number of participants from the target population
What is macro research?
Large samples tend to be more representative, therefore easier to build representative samples using quantitive methods (quick and time efficient)
- Large sample doesn’t guarantee that it will be representative
What is random sampling?
Researchers first needs a list of everybody in the target population = sampling frame, participants are then selected from the list at random
Strengths and weaknesses of random sampling
S - Quick and easy - No researcher bias W - Might not be representative (could end up with all boys)
What is systematic sampling?
Where there is a regular pattern e.g. every 10th person from the sampling frame is chosen
Strengths and weaknesses of systematic sampling?
S
- No bias (not picking people you know/smiling at you)
W
- Still random
What is stratified sampling?
The sampling frame can be divided (e.g. into boys and girls) and a random sample is taken from each, can be done by sex, age, ethnicity or any other characteristic
Strengths and weaknesses of stratified sampling?
S
- Deliberate effort has been made to make the sample representative
W
- Time consuming to calculate percentages
What is quota sampling?
An alternative approach to generating a representative sample which is often used in opinion surveys and market research
Strengths and weaknesses of quota sampling?
S - Exactly what the researcher needs - Effort made to make it representative W - The person who stops in the street may be different from the person who doesn't
What is purposive sampling?
A non-probability sample that is selected based on characteristics of a population and the objective of the study, sociologists attempt to locate individuals who suit the “purposes” of their research
Strengths and weaknesses of purposive sampling?
S
- Researcher only study people they need e.g. smokers
W
- Might not agree to take part
What is snowball sampling?
The researcher finds an initial participant who puts them in touch with others, these contacts are then used to find new participants and the sample “snowballs”
E.g. Homeless people, drug dealers, gangs
Strengths and weaknesses of purposive sampling?
S - Good for difficult to reach people - Easy as the sample collects itself W - Not representative as similar characteristics/personalities
What is self-selecting aka volunteer sampling?
Easiest/most used technique of gaining participants, the researcher places an advert (e.g. in the newspaper) and participants volunteer to take part
Strengths and weaknesses of self-selecting sampling?
S
- Ethical - consent given
- Easy - just put up a poster
W
- The person who takes part is likely to be different
- People might only be motivated by an incentive
What is opportunity sampling?
The researcher isn’t fussy and uses whoever is available at the time
Strengths and weaknesses of oppurtunity sampling?
S
- Easy, quick, cheap
W
- Biased selection (might pick people who look friendly)
- Not representative - could all be a-level students
