Running Header: SAMPLING STRATEGY

Sampling Strategy and Sample Size for Qualitative Research Plan Rudrani Sewsankar Student ID: A00250869 Rudrani.sewsankar@waldenu.edu Walden University Qualitative Reasoning and Analysis RSCH-8300-2

Sampling Strategy Introduction It is very important to use the right sample and population for any research; this will give you the best result and a more accurate representation of the data. The sample that is chosen for the research must be taken from the population that is being generalized, in this way there is an accurate account of the population that the study is focused on. According to Castillo (2009), research questions focuses on a specific group, this group is known as the population. To get the most accurate result that reflects that specific group the right population needs to be chosen for the study. Sampling and population is related because sample is a subset of the entire population. The sample that is used for the research study is the group that is from the population of interest. By studying this sample from the population, the result of the study from this sample can be generalized back to the original population. In order to conduct the research and get the best and most accurate result from the study, a fair sample of the population needs to be represented. Although there are no set sample sizes for any research, it is up to the researcher to ensure that the sample size that is chosen for the research will be what is needed to represent the population accurately. Researches are done to benefit the population and so the population that will be benefited from the study is where the sample needs to be taken from. A population is a collection of individuals with similar characteristics. Due to the vast number of individuals that make up the population, a sample or a small group of the population is used to represent the entire population. There are two types of population; target population which refers to the entire group the researcher is focusing on to generalize their conclusion on based on the results received from the

Sampling Strategy accessible population, the second type of population. The accessible population is the study population or the subset of the target population (Castillo, 2009). Population For the proposed study, the population that will be used is the children that are taken from the general Guyanese population. The population will be divided into four groups according to the age of the children. The first group will be children age 5 to age 7. The second group will have children age 8 to age twelve, the third group will consist of children age thirteen to age sixteen, and fourth group will consist of older teenagers age seventeen to nineteen. At this time, I have not collected any data and am not sure what the size of the population is. Should I be moving forward with this study, I will definitely be getting this information since it is very important for the study. The reason why I chose these four age groups is to get a diverse view of what these children are feeling and how they are coping with the fear and tragedy they face. This diverse information coming from all these children gives me an opportunity to compare how differently each group reacts to the situation they are in. I am able to use this information to see what is common among the different groups and to make an accurate decision when it comes time to assist the children with going on with their lives. Sampling The children that are used for this study will come from different areas of Guyana, South America. Since the population for the study is scattered and very large, I will have to say that a random sampling will be used for the proposed study. Random sampling is a form of probability sampling which is specifically selected to represent the population. Probability sampling reflects the characteristics of the population that is used and thus can be very valid and credible (Types

Sampling Strategy of Sampling, n.d.). Random sampling allows for individuals to be chosen at random and thus each individual have an equal chance of being selected. Since Guyana is divided into three counties, I will choose children from each age group in each county so there will be three set of data for each age group from each county. This will ensure that the population is accurately represented. As I said before, I am not sure what the exact population is and depending on the population I will draw a number of children that will best represent that population. Like I said, the children will be drawn at random with no bias in the selection process; everyone has the same chance of being selected for the sample. Without knowing the exact population, my

inclination is to choose seventy-five children for each age group and from each county. This will tentatively be two hundred and twenty-five children in each age group for the three counties; this means that the total population will be nine hundred children. As mentioned before, I am not sure of the total target population and so this number can be changed depending on the target population, if this study was to move forward. Since I have not put much attention into this part of my study so far, I have to say that I am not sure if this sampling is what I need for my study. At this time, I believe that this sampling will work since is a very good representation of the population I am sampling. I really wanted children that are closely connected to war or disaster. The sample I am choosing, do suffer but I am not sure of that is enough for my research because I am not close enough to the sample population as yet to make that decision. As I get to understand more and more of what I need to do, I am getting my doubts about the sample population I am using. I have not found much literature out there but I am still looking for information. What I have decided to do is to change where I am getting my sample population. I have decided to

Sampling Strategy continue with using these children from Guyana who have not suffered first hand disaster or war and also take another sample of children that are directly connected with disasters and are in the war zone. That would involve taking a sample population from a different country that suffered some sort of disaster like Haiti and war like the Middle East. I have to be careful not to introduce any sampling bias or error into the study because that is important in getting the most accurate result. Sampling bias can come in many different ways and involves problems with the sample. Any bias with the sample will show that the sample does not represent the population and this is very critical to the overall research process. Bias with the sample will not give an accurate inference of the analysis. In this case, since I am using different sample groups, I have to be careful that there is no sampling error. This can occur when there is a fluctuation between the sample groups. Conclusion The population and the sample are related because the sample is a subset of the population. The difference between the sample and the population is that the sample is what is actually used for the study and the conclusion for the sample is what is used to generalize the population. It is important to use the right sample and population for the study. Using the population that best characterize the individuals for the study ensure the best and most accurate conclusions and findings for the study. While choosing the right population and sample is important, it is also very important to choose the right sample size in order to get the most accurate representation of the population. If a too small sample size is used the result will not be best represented because there could be insufficient sample to represent the entire population. A larger sample can over exaggerate the sample size and thus give an inaccurate representation of the population. To get the best and most accurate representation of the population and draw an

Sampling Strategy accurate conclusion, then the researcher needs to get a sample that best represent the entire population. Sample size needs to be drawn without any bias to make sure that the population is represented fairly in order to get the best result. If researchers endure that their population and sample is best represented and drawn then the finding from their study can be valid.

Sampling Strategy Reference Castillio, J., J. (2009). Research Population. Experiment-Resources.com. Retrieved April 17, 2011 from http://www.experiment-resources.com/research-population.html. Types of Samples (n.d.). Retrieved April 17, 2011 from http://psychology.ucdavis.edu/sommerb/sommerdemo/sampling/types.htm.