topic 8 — sampling techniques, access and gatekeeping

Question 1

what is a sample?

Answer 1

selection of respondents from the target population who participate in sociological study (should be generalisable, representative)

Question 2

what is a target population?

Answer 2

the people the researchers would like to study

Question 3

define random sampling

Answer 3

respondents are selected at random from a sampling frame (everyone must have an equal chance of being chosen)

Question 4

pros of random sampling

Answer 4

easy to conduct
quick

Question 5

cons of random sampling

Answer 5

may be unrepresentative
may be slightly biased (if you unconsciously choose names you like)
sampling frame may be unavailable

Question 6

define systematic sampling

Answer 6

respondents are chosen systematically (e.g. every 5th name) from a sampling frame

Question 7

pros of systematic sampling

Answer 7

avoids the potential bias of random sampling
easy
quick

Question 8

cons of systematic sampling

Answer 8

may be unrepresentative
sampling frame may be unavailable

Question 9

define stratified random sampling

Answer 9

target population is stratified into groups with different characteristics (e.g. sex, age) which are then randomly sampled from to create a sample that is representative of the characteristics identified

each group of a certain characteristic in the sample should be proportionate to that in the target population

Question 10

pros of stratified random sampling

Answer 10

representative
avoids bias (random)

Question 11

cons of stratified random sampling

Answer 11

sampling frame may be unavailable
time-consuming

Question 12

define quota sampling

Answer 12

like stratified random sampling except researcher decides a quota (number) of people needed for each strata and then goes out and finds people until the quota is filled

Question 13

pros of quota sampling

Answer 13

representative

Question 14

cons of quota sampling

Answer 14

high chance of bias when choosing people to fill the quota
only conducted face to face so unrepresentative of different locations

Question 15

define opportunity (purposive) sampling

Answer 15

choosing a sample that is most available/accessible at the time, e.g. if studying gangs in London and you can only gain access to 1 gang

Question 16

pros of opportunity sampling

Answer 16

easy
sometimes the only option

Question 17

cons of opportunity sampling

Answer 17

may be unrepresentative

Question 18

define snowball sampling

Answer 18

selecting one participant then building up more and more participants through the original one

Question 19

pros of snowball samplilng

Answer 19

quick
easy
may be the only option

Question 20

cons of snowball sampling

Answer 20

highly unlikely to be representative

Question 21

define volunteer sampling

Answer 21

researcher advertises research and people volunteer to participate

Question 22

pros of volunteer sampling

Answer 22

quick
easy
may be the only option

Question 23

cons of volunteer sampling

Answer 23

high bias, unrepresentative

Question 24

issues with access

Answer 24

powerful people have ability to deny being researched, so sociological research is overwhelmingly focussed on the powerless (comprehensive schools, poor people etc)

Question 25

what is a gatekeeper?

Answer 25

an intermediary, someone who has contact with a relevant set of individuals who can help gain trust and access (for difficult-to-access groups like victims of domestic violence, criminals, tribes)