Sampling Methods

Question 1

What is a sample?

+ How is a sample chosen by a researcher?

Answer 1

A smaller sub-group selected for inclusion in the researcher’s study from the wider group they are interested in

+ They take the research population (whole group they are studying) and use it to create a sampling frame (list of all members of the population the researcher is interested in studying). Then they use a sampling method to obtain a sample.

Question 2

What is the purpose of sampling?

+ which theoretical perspective want this?

Answer 2

Ensures we have chosen people who are representative of the research population as we are then able to generalise our findings & draw conclusions. (sampling frame must be complete/accurate to ensure this).

+ Positivists as they are interested in reliability and identifying patterns and trends so they can make generalisations

Question 3

What are some practical and theoretical obstacles to creating a representative sample?

Answer 3

Practical:
- time
- access to some groups isn’t possible
- respondents may refuse to participate
- location may restrict sample size
- may be impossible to find a sampling frame
- social characteristics of research population may not be known

Theoretical:
- researcher may not value representativeness (interpretivists)
- researcher may be less concerned with generalisations

Question 4

1) What is random sampling?
+ what are the strengths & weaknesses of this?

2) What is systematic sampling?
+ what are the strengths & weaknesses of this?

Answer 4

1) Every member of a population has an equal chance of being selected
+ gives an unbiased sample
- time-consuming
- may not be representative

2) Every nth person in the sample is selected
+ easy & quick
+ may create an unbiased sample
- could create a biased sample

Question 5

3) What is stratified sampling?
+ what are the strengths & weaknesses of this?

4) What is quota sampling?
+ what are the strengths & weaknesses of this?

Answer 5

3) Researcher breaks down sampling frame into groups. Sample is then created in the same proportions as sampling frame. People are then randomly selected from each group.
+ representative
- can be very time-consuming
- some categories are not always apparent e.g sexuality

4) Target population is divided into sub-categories. Researcher is given a quota to fill from each group. They then pick the first people they find until quota is filled.
+ aims to be representative
- time-consuming
- biased

Question 6

4) What is volunteer sampling?
+ what are the strengths & weaknesses of this?

5) What is opportunity sampling?
+ what are the strengths & weaknesses of this?

6) What is snowball sampling?
+ what are the strengths & weaknesses of this?

(example of bad sampling?)

Answer 6

4) Individuals choose to participate
+ convenient
+ ethical
- unrepresentative
- volunteer bias

5) Sample includes anyone who is available/willing at the time
+ convenient
+ cheap
- very unrepresentative
- researcher bias

6) One contact puts the researcher in contact with other participants
+ good for hard to reach groups
- very biased

(Literary Digest’s 1936 pre-election telephone survey)