sampling

Question 1

random sampling

Answer 1

the sample selected at random eg random number generators

Question 2

random sampling advantages

Answer 2

everyone has equal chance of being selected

quick and easy to carry out

Question 3

random sampling disadvantages

Answer 3

as the sample being gathered is random - might mean not all social groups equally represented

requires accurate, up-to-date and complete sampling frame

Question 4

systematic / quasi - random sampling

Answer 4

where you select every nth name from a list

Question 5

systematic advantages

Answer 5

ensures every individual has an absolutely equal chance of being selected

quick and easy to carry out

Question 6

systematic disadvantages

Answer 6

could be unrepresentative eg more males than females

requires accurate, up-to-date and complete sampling frame

Question 7

stratified random sampling

Answer 7

draw sample randomly than stratify sample so it represents the general population

Question 8

stratified random sampling advantages

Answer 8

ensures control of variables such as age or sex that are important to research

can increase precision and so improve representativeness of your sample as it more closely matches general population

Question 9

stratified random sampling disadvantages

Answer 9

complex and time-consuming to identify strata and to sample various sub-groups of the population

sampling frame may not contain the required information to split sample-population into groups

values and views on society may influence choice of stratification - bias

Question 10

cluster sampling

Answer 10

population divided into groups (clusters) and a random sample of these clusters is selected

all observations in the selected clusters are included in the sample

Question 11

cluster sampling advantages

Answer 11

useful if a complete list of the population is unavailable but you can get a complete list of groups or clusters of the population

cheaper than random sample if the list of subjects is widely scattered

Question 12

cluster sampling disadvantages

Answer 12

could be unrepresentative as the clusters may not accurately reflect the general population

Question 13

quota-sampling

Answer 13

researcher tries to find a specific number of a particular person

once that quota is filled they stop

Question 14

quota-sampling advantages

Answer 14

can control variables without a sampling frame

cheap and quick

Question 15

quota-sampling disadvantages

Answer 15

not random - each person does not have some chance of being asked

may have to ask personal questions to discover whether respondent matches the necessary criteria of the study

not representative as quota sampling will normally target specific groups in society while non-random nature of the technique means it is unlikely to be truly representative

Question 16

snowball sampling

Answer 16

respondent recruits one individual who will get more people - snowball

Question 17

snowball advantages

Answer 17

no sampling frame needed

can allow access to sensitive, marginalised and secretive groups

Question 18

snowball disadvantages

Answer 18

not representative - people included are part of a network of contracts so are likely to be of similar backgrounds and share values

may run out participants making it difficult to generalise

those who take part are self-selected - those who volunteer may be different from those who refuse

Question 19

purposive sampling

Answer 19

when you target specific individuals you wish to sample

Question 20

purposive advantages

Answer 20

hopefully get access to exact people you wish to study

Question 21

purposive disadvantages

Answer 21

not representative of wider population

small sample sizes

Question 22

volunteer sample

Answer 22

volunteer to take part in the study, replying to adverts ect

Question 23

volunteer advantages

Answer 23

no need for a sampling frame

you will normally advertise in areas where people who are appropriate for the study may be

can allow access to sensitive, marginalised and secretive groups

Question 24

volunteer disadvantages

Answer 24

unlikely to be representative of general population - those who volunteer will normally have a reason for doing so - make them different in some ways to the wider population

may not get a large sample depending on how many people volunteer

Question 25

opportunity sampling

Answer 25

take a sample who are quickly and conveniently available

Question 26

opportunity sampling advantages

Answer 26

can gather data very quickly

Question 27

opportunity sampling disadvantages

Answer 27

very unlikely to be remotely representative

Question 28

positive perspective on sampling

Answer 28

which to discover general laws of society so believe that samples should be representative of the wider population

favour random sampling - removes researcher bias in selecting sample - objectivity

Question 29

interpretivists

Answer 29

discover in-depth valid data revealing how understand the world and the meanings they place interactions

do not seek to discover general laws

less concerned than about whether their samples are representative nor are they concerned about whether sample is random