sampling techniques

Question 1

sample

Answer 1

the people the sociologists actually study in their research

Question 2

sampling frame

Answer 2

a list of all the people in the population who are relevant to the particular topic being studied

Question 3

random sampling

Answer 3

random sampling - purely random using eg random number generators

systematic sampling - where you select every nth name from a list

Question 4

random sampling advantages

Answer 4

• ensures every individual has absolutely equal chance of being selected
• quick and easy to carry out

Question 5

random sampling disadvantages

Answer 5

• could be unrepresentative eg by chance more males than females
• requires accurate, up-to-date and complete sampling frame

Question 6

stratified random sampling

Answer 6

to stratify your sample so it represents the general population - you then draw randomly

Question 7

stratified random sampling advantages

Answer 7

• ensures control of variables such as age and sex that are important to the research
• can increase precision and so improve representativeness of sample

Question 8

stratified random sampling disadvantages

Answer 8

• complex and time-consuming to identity to strata and to sample various sub-groups
• sampling frame may not contain required info to split sample-population into groups
• your values and views on society may influence choice of stratification - bias

Question 9

cluster sampling

Answer 9

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

all observations in the selected clusters are included in the sample

Question 10

cluster sampling advantages

Answer 10

• 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 list of subjects is widely scattered

Question 11

cluster sampling disadvantages

Answer 11

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

Question 12

quota-sampling - non

Answer 12

find a specific number of a particular types of person, once quota filled they stop

often in market research

Question 13

quota sampling advantages

Answer 13

• can control variables without a sampling frame
• cheap and quick

Question 14

quota sampling disadvantages

Answer 14

• not random
• may have to ask personal questions to discover whether respondent matches the necessary criteria of study
• not representative as quota sampling

Question 15

snowball sampling - non

Answer 15

respondents recruit one individual who will then get people they know to participate in the study - these people will then get further participants

Question 16

snowball sampling - advantages

Answer 16

• no sampling frame needed
• can allow access to sensitive, marginalised and secretive groups eg drug users

Question 17

snowball sampling - disadvantages

Answer 17

• not representative - network of contracts likely to be of similar backgrounds
• may run out of participants making it difficult to generalise
• self-selected - those who volunteer may be different from those who refuse

Question 18

targeted sampling - non

Answer 18

where you target specific individuals you wich to sample - this method is more common in social policy research than in sociology

Question 19

targeted sampling advantages

Answer 19

you will hopefully get access to exactly the people you wish to study

Question 20

targeted sampling disadvantages

Answer 20

not representative of wider population

small sample sizes

Question 21

volunteer sample - non

Answer 21

people volunteer to take part in the study, normally by replying to adverts, leaflets and posters

Question 22

volunteer sample advantages

Answer 22

• no need for sampling frame
• advertise in areas where people who are appropriate for the study may be
• can allow access to sensitive, marginalised and secretive groups

Question 23

volunteer sample - disadvantages

Answer 23

• unlikely to be representative of the general population
• may not get a large sample depending on how people volunteer

Question 24

opportunity sampling - non

Answer 24

you take a sample who are quickly and conveniently available

Question 25

opportunity sample advantages

Answer 25

can gather data very quickly if you wish to get a feel about a particular topic

Question 26

opportunity sampling disadvantages

Answer 26

very unlikely to be remotely representative