topic 7: representativeness and generalisability

Question 1

define representativeness

Answer 1

how well your sample reflects the target population

Question 2

why may quantitative methods be high in representativeness?

Answer 2

— larger samples, “Birds Eye view of society”
— stratified sampling allows sample to be a diverse cross section of the target population

BUT even large samples can still under represent some groups

Question 3

why may qualitative methods be low in representativeness?

Answer 3

smaller samples are more likely to exclude certain voices due to unsophisticated approach to sampling

Question 4

why may qualitative methods be high in representativeness?

Answer 4

despite being small samples, they can give very representative insight to larger groups that may be harder to reach (e.g. venkatesh’s gang)

Question 5

define generalisability

Answer 5

how far the findings can be applied beyond the target population

larger sample + more sophisticated sampling methods = higher generalisability