RESEARCH METHODS- SAMPLING Flashcards
What is a population in sociological research?
A population refers to all the members of the group the researcher is interested in studying.
What is a sample in sociological research?
A sample is a small sub-group chosen from the population to take part in the study.
Why do researchers select a sample?
To ensure those participating in the study are representative or typical of the whole population, allowing for generalisations to be made.
What is a sampling frame?
A sampling frame is a list of the population the researcher is interested in studying, from which the sample is chosen.
What are sampling methods?
Sampling methods are techniques used to select a sample from the sampling frame.
What is a response rate?
The response rate is the number of people from the sample who agree to participate in the research.
What is random sampling?
Random sampling involves selecting the sample purely by chance, such as drawing names from a hat, where everyone has an equal chance of being selected.
What is systematic sampling?
Systematic sampling involves selecting every nth person from the sampling frame, e.g., every 10th person.
What is snowball sampling?
Snowball sampling is when the researcher contacts one participant, who then refers other potential participants. It is often used for hard-to-reach groups, like criminals or drug users.
What is opportunity sampling?
Opportunity sampling, also known as convenience sampling, involves selecting participants who are easy to access, such as passers-by in the street.
Why might sociologists use unrepresentative samples?
Practical reasons include:
Lack of knowledge about the social characteristics of the population (e.g., age, ethnicity).
Inability to create or access a sampling frame, such as for criminals who aren’t known to the police.
Why do interpretivists prefer unrepresentative samples?
Interpretivists focus on gaining verstehen (understanding) rather than making generalisations, so representativeness is less important to them.
What is stratified random sampling?
Stratified random sampling involves dividing the population into categories (e.g., by gender or ethnicity) and selecting a proportional number from each group.
What is quota sampling?
Quota sampling requires researchers to collect data from a set number of participants in each category, e.g., 20 under-18 girls for a teenage magazine study.
What is cluster sampling?
Cluster sampling involves dividing the population into smaller clusters, such as local boroughs, and then selecting a sample to represent the entire population.
