Sampling

Question 1

define sample

Answer 1

is a small sub-group chosen from the population to
take part in the study. The purpose of selecting a sample is to
make sure that those who take part in the research are
representative or typical of the whole population. This allows
the researcher to make generalisations - broad statements that
apply to the whole population.

Question 2

sampling methods which are unrepresentative

Answer 2

Random sampling
Quasi-sampling
Snowball sampling
Opportunity sampling

Question 3

Sampling methods that is representative

Answer 3

Stratified random sampling
Quota sampling

Question 4

Random sampling

Answer 4

it involves selecting the sample purely by random chance, e.g. drawing names out of a hat and everyone has an equal chance of being selected.

Question 5

Quasi-random or systematic sampling

Answer 5

involved selecting every n-th person from the sampling frame, e.g. 10th person on the sampling frame.

Question 6

Snowball sampling

Answer 6

the researcher contacts one individual who agrees to take part in the study. This individual then suggests other possible participants to the researcher. This is a useful sampling method for researching people such as criminals, drug users, etc. who may not otherwise be easy to contact or persuade to take part.

Question 7

Opportunity sampling

Answer 7

also known as convenience sampling,
involves choosing from those who are easy to access, e.g.
passers-by in the street.

Question 8

Why use a sample that is not representative?

Answer 8

Random, systematic, snowball and opportunity sampling methods
do not produce a sample that is representative of the population,
e.g. we could end up with more men than women.

Interpretivists are more concerned with gaining verstehen than
with making generalisations so they don’t mind.

There are also practical reasons why Sociologists may end up using
an unrepresentative sample

Question 9

practical reasons why Sociologists may end up using
an unrepresentative sample

Answer 9

The researcher may not know the social characteristics of the
population, e.g. their age or ethnicity so it is impossible to create a
sample that is an exact cross-section of the population.

It may be impossible to create or access the sampling frame for
some groups in society such as criminals as not all criminals are
known to the police.