Sampling

Question 1

what is sampling

Answer 1

the researcher selecting a smaller group of people from the wider target population

Question 2

target population

Answer 2

a population that includes all the people with the characteristics a researcher wants to investigate

Question 3

sample

Answer 3

the group selected from the wider population to take part in research

Question 4

census research

Answer 4

where every member of the target population is studied

Question 5

representitiveness

Answer 5

if the sample is typical of the target population

Question 6

generalisation

Answer 6

if the findings can be applied to the entire target population

Question 7

sampling bias

Answer 7

any differences between the sample and the larger population

Question 8

sampling frame

Answer 8

a list of members of the population to be studied

Question 8

examples of sampling frames

Answer 8

electoral register
register of births

Question 9

does a sampling frame make it easier to select a representative sample from the target population

Answer 9

yes

Question 10

practical issues with sampling frames

Answer 10

people may be missing from the list

access to the list

sampling frames are not always suitable to the purpose of the research

Question 11

‘gaining access’

Answer 11

finding participants and getting them to take part in the research

Question 12

examples of groups which may be difficult to access

Answer 12

children - due to safeguarding
hospital patients

Question 13

gatekeepers

Answer 13

people who control whether researchers can have access to participants

Question 14

sampling technique

Answer 14

method used by the researcher to select their sample

Question 15

random sampling

Answer 15

gives every member of the population the same chance of being chosen

Question 16

non-random

Answer 16

not everyone in a population will stand a equal chance of being chosen

Question 17

representative sampling techniques

Answer 17

probability
systematic
cluster
stratified
quota

Question 18

non- representative sampling techniques

Answer 18

snowball
volunteer
opportunity
purposive

Question 19

probability sampling + evaluation

Answer 19

ppts selected randomly from sampling frame

• ppts may geographically be spread out
• unequal selection possible
  + no bias

Question 20

systematic sampling

Answer 20

researcher selects every nth person from the sampling frame

+ no bias

-unequal selection possible

Question 21

cluster sampling

Answer 21

target population split into groups and then some of the clusters are sampled

+some control over sample
- researcher bias

Question 22

stratified sampling & evaluation

Answer 22

divides the research population into strata using significant variables, then samples are drawn randomly from these groups

+increased representitiveness
- difficulty selection appropriate strata, cannot account for all variables

Question 23

quota sampling

Answer 23

researchers have a list of the proportions and various characteristics of the target population

they then go out and try and find people to meet their quota

• subjective, may introduce bias
• easy to miss out influential characteristics

Question 24

snowball sampling

Answer 24

initial contact is made with a participant who puts the researcher in touch with others

+ useful for researching sensitive, hidden or criminal groups
- not representative
- trail of participants may dry up

Question 25

volunteer sampling

Answer 25

an advert is placed and people volunteer to take part in the research

+ consent guaranteed
- location of advert may impact representativeness
-volunteers often systematically different to others

Question 26

opportunity sampling

Answer 26

participants are selected based on their availability
- may not be representative
- limited control over sample characteristics

Question 27

purposive sampling

Answer 27

researcher finds participants to suit their purposes
+ can improve representativeness by finding people to make up for bias in the original sample
+ can disprove findings of other research by finding the exception to the rule
- researcher bias
- limited generalisability as sample is not random

Question 28

CSEW - sampling technique used and choice for it

Answer 28

probability sampling - sampling frame royal mail list of addresses

75,000 households - selected to represent the population as a whole

when an address has been selected it cannot be replaces with another address

Question 29

Learning to Labour - Willis

Answer 29

opportunity sampling - 12 working class white boys who attended one boys only secondary school

working class boys selected as the aim was to see why working class children went into working class jobs

Question 30

volunteer sample

Answer 30

ppts have volunteered themselves to take part in a study