Types of Sampling

Question 1

Convenience Sampling

Answer 1

Is a quick and easy way of selecting participants. It involves selecting participants based on the researchers accessibility to them, or the participants availability.

E.g. Sampling only one class in a school or going to the local supermarket and surveying the people found there.

Question 2

Reliability of Convenience Sampling

Answer 2

Advantages:
-Quick, easy and inexpensive.
-Good for preliminary indication of possible responses before conducting the actual study.

Disadvantages:
-Produces a biased sample because only those people available at the time and location of the study will have a chance of being included in the sample.

Question 3

Random Sampling

Answer 3

Employs a carefully planned and systematic method of selecting participants for a study. It ensures that every member of the population has an equal chance of being selected for the sample being used in the study.

Question 4

Reliability of Random Sampling

Answer 4

Advantages:
-Ensures a highly representative sample, particularly when everyone who has been selected can be contacted and agrees to participate.

Disadvantages:
-Need a complete and up-to-date list of the target population.
-May be difficult and time consuming.

Question 5

Stratified Sampling

Answer 5

Involves breaking the population into ‘strata’, or groups, based on characteristics they share.

E.g. You could divide a secondary school population into year levels; these would be the strata. Once the population is divided, you then select participants randomly from each strata in the same proportions that they appear in the population.

Question 6

Reliability of Stratified Sampling

Answer 6

Advantages:
-Enables the researcher to sample specific groups (strata) within populations for comparison purposes.

Disadvantages:
-Carried out only complete lists of the target populations (strata) are available and accessible.
-Time consuming.

Question 7

Experimental Method

Answer 7

Is a particular way of conducting a research study to collect accurate and reliable data on a topic of interest.

E.g. Experiments, and self-reports are different types of research methods.

Question 8

Non-Experimental Method

Answer 8

Any conclusions about human thought, feelings and behaviours that do not follow the scientific method to reach conclusions.

Question 9

Define Population

Answer 9

Is the group to whom we want to apply our research findings.

Question 10

Define Sample

Answer 10

Representation of the population to whom the research applies to.