sampling

Question 1

what is the target population?

Answer 1

the people you are researching. it should be representative, the sample needs to be a smaller version of the target population and reflect the diversity so that the results can be generalised to the whole target population

Question 2

what are all the types of sampling?

Answer 2

•random sample
•systematic sample
•stratified sample
•opportunity sample
•volunteer sample

Question 3

what is random sampling?

Answer 3

all members of the target population have an equal chance of being selected. this could be done by assigning all participants a number and using a random number generator

Question 4

strength of random sampling

Answer 4

•free from researcher bias

Question 5

limitations of a random sample

Answer 5

•difficult and time-consuming to conduct
•you may end up with a sample that is still unrepresentative
•selected participants may refuse to take part

Question 6

what is a systematic sample?

Answer 6

every Nth person/ member of the target population is selected. a sampling frame is produced, which is a list of the target population organised, for instance, into alphabetical order. the interval may be determined randomly.

Question 7

strengths of systematic sampling

Answer 7

•avoids researcher bias
•usually fairly representative

Question 8

a limitation of a systematic sample

Answer 8

•still possible to produce an unrepresentative sample

Question 9

what is a stratified sample?

Answer 9

the composition of the sample reflects the proportions of people in certain sub-groups (strata). the researcher splits the target population into sub groups and randomly selects participants from within the strata, achieving proportional representation

Question 10

strengths of a stratified sample

Answer 10

•avoids researcher bias
•produces a representative sample, meaning you can generalise findings

Question 11

limitations of a stratified sample

Answer 11

•complete representation is not possible
•requires detailed demographic analysis of the target population

Question 12

what is opportunity sampling?

Answer 12

researchers decide to select anyone who happens to be willing and available

Question 13

strength of opportunity sampling

Answer 13

•convenient method; saves time, effort and money

Question 14

limitations of opportunity sampling

Answer 14

•the sample is unrepresentative as it is drawn from a very specific area
•researcher bias occurs

Question 15

what is a volunteer sample?

Answer 15

involves participants selecting themselves to be part of the sample (self-selection)

Question 16

strengths of a volunteer sample

Answer 16

•creating a volunteer sample is easy and requires minimal effort from the researcher
•less time consuming

Question 17

limitations of a volunteer sample

Answer 17

•volunteer/researcher bias is a problem
•unrepresentative sample

Question 18

what is event sampling?

Answer 18

it involves a researcher recording an event every time is happens for a set period of time (for example, how many times someone smiles over a 20-minute period)

Question 19

what is time sampling?

Answer 19

recording the most prominent behaviour at many different points in time. these points in time could be selected randomly or systematically.
For example, observing what a child is doing every 5 minutes for an hour