Determining Sample Size in Surveys Research Sample Size Considerations in Qualitative Surveys Research In surveys research, statistics are

applied to samples that have been generated using conventional strategies for randomization. These statistics represent the degree to which a researcher can be confident that the study sample is reasonabl y valid and reliable. What is a Confidence Interval? A confidence interval is the margin of error that a researcher would experience if he or she could ask a particular research question, say, of every member of t he target population and receive the same answer back that the members of the sa mple gave in the survey. For example, if the researcher used a confidence interv al of 4 and 60% of the participants in the survey sample answered "Would recomme nd to friends," he could be sure that between 54% and 64% of the members of the entire target population would also say "Would recommend to friends" when asked the same question. The confidence interval, in this case, is +/- 4. What is a Confidence Level? A confidence level is an expression of how confident a researcher can be of the data obtained from a sample. Confidence levels are expressed as a percentage and indicate how frequently that percentage of the target population would give an answer that lies within the confidence interval. The most commonly used confiden ce level is 95%. A related concept is called statistical significance. A researcher's confidence in the probability that his sample is truly representa tive of the target population is influenced by a number of factors. A researcher 's confidence in their study design and implementation -- and an awareness of it s limitations -- is largely based on three important variables: Sample size, fre quency of response, and population size. Researchers have long agreed that these variables must be carefully considered during the research planning phase. Sample Size Generally speaking, larger samples deliver data that truly reflect t he target population. A wide confidence interval is indicative of less confidenc e in the data because there is a greater margin for error. A wide confidence int erval is like hedging your bets. Although there is a relationship between confid ence interval and sample size, but it is not a linear relationship. A researcher cannot cut a confidence level in half by doubling the sample size. Frequency of response The accuracy with which sample data reflects the target po pulation depends also on the percentage of respondents who gave a particular ans wer or responded in a specific way. The greater the number of respondents who ga ve a particular answer, say "Very happy," the more sure the researcher can be of that response. There will be some variability in the percentage in the middle a reas of the normal curve. That is, if a researcher is 50% confident that members of the target populations will respond (within a confidence interval) like memb ers of the sample population, there is likely to be some variation from that 50% level. It is good to remember that outliers (data that is on the far ends, or tails, of the normal curve) are more likely to occur at about the same rate in the popula tion as they do in a sample -- there is less variability here, because there is lower frequency. (Consider how the balls in a Galton Box tend to stack up in the middle at the Science Center exhibit? Only a few balls bounce off into the tail s.) For this reason, it is easier to be confident of the frequency of extreme an swers. Population Size is not an important factor in sample size unless a researcher is working with a population that is very small and known to him or her (e.g., sma ll enough so that all the members of the population can be identified by the res earcher). Creative Research Systems points out that: The mathematics of probability proves the size of the population is irrelevant u nless the size of the sample exceeds a few percent of the total population you a re examining. This means that a sample of 500 people is equally useful in examin ing the opinions of a state of 15,000,000 as it would be a city of 100,000. Generating a representative sample can be a costly and time-consuming process. R

esearchers always face a trade-off between the confidence level they would like to obtain - or the degree of accuracy they need to achieve -- and the confidence level they can afford. Determining Sample Size in Surveys Research Sample Size Considerations in Qualitative Surveys Research By Gigi DeVault, About.com Guide See More About: research design survey design qualitative research methods market segmentation planning for research Ads Deploying Complex Surveysintellisurvey.comfor demanding researchers is what we d o. Flexibly. Reliably. Quickly. SWOT Analysis Toolwww.Mindjet.comGet a free 30 day trial of Mindjet and create S WOT Analysis easily. Email Marketing Softwarewww.SendBlaster.compay just one time - no yearly fee Try Free edition before buy! More Market Research Ads Market Research Surveys Sample Size Calculation Focus Group Surveys Online Consumer Surveys Qualitative Research (Continued from Page 1) Sample Size in Qualitative Surveys Research Qualitative research is exploratory or descriptive in nature, and does not focus on numbers or measurement. But concerns about sampling error in qualitative sur veys research are still valid. As a general rule, if a sample is representative of the target universe, the themes or patterns that emerge from the research wil l reflect the larger population that is of interest to the researcher. If the sa mple is both representative and consists of a large percentage of the target pop ulation, then confidence in the accuracy of data derived from that sample will t end to be high. Determining Sample Size in Surveys Research Different rules apply to quantitative research and qualitative research when it comes to determining sample size. Generally speaking, to be confident in the dat a generated by qualitative survey research, a researcher needs to have a clear i dea of how the data will be used. The data may form the basis for a descriptive narrative (as in a case study or some ethnographic research) or it may serve in an exploratory fashion to identify relevant variables that might later be tested for correlations in a quantitative study. Sample Size in Quantitative Surveys Research Quantitative research often involves comparisons between market segments or subg roups of a target market. Because quantitative research is numbers-driven, deter mining a comfortable sample size can be fairly easy -- for each important group or segment in a study, a researcher would hope to survey 100 participants. This number is a recommendation and not an absolute. A market researcher will conside r a number of relevant variables to determine the size of a sample in surveys re search. Sample Size in Quantitative Surveys Research When conducting survey market research, the goal is to infer from the sample wha t is likely to be true of the target universe. A sample provides data that can b e observed or known. From this observed or known data, a researcher can estimate the degree to which an unknown value or parameter can be found in a target popu lation. Quantitative surveys research is based on the notion of a normal, symmetrical cu rve that represents, in the mind of the researcher, the target universe - the po

pulation about which the researcher must estimate rather than actually knowparam eters. A representative sample allows a researcher to calculate -- from the samp le data -- anestimated range of values that are likely to include the unknown va lue or parameter that is of interest. This estimated range of values represents an area on the normal curve, and is generally expressed as a decimal or a percen tage. The Normal Curve and Probability A normal, symmetrical curve is a visual expression of probability. Let's look at a simple heuristic: An activity at a science center lets a large number of ball s fall between two acrylic sheets, one at a time. Every ball falls through the s ame opening at the top of the display, and then drops between any of the vertica l, parallel dividers that separate the stacks of balls once they come to rest. A fter several hours, the balls have formed the shape of a normal curve. The curve changes a little bit as each newly introduced ball hits the mass of balls that arrived first. But overall, the symmetrical curve is evident and it occurred nat urally, independent of any action by the Science Center observers or staff. The curved shape that the balls form reflects the probability that most of the balls will fall into the center and stay there. Fewer balls will make it into the far ends of the curve - some inevitably will, but they are few in number. This normal curve is similar to the concept of a sample. Each time the display i s emptied out and the balls once again are allowed to fall into the Galton box, the configuration of the stacks of balls will be only a little bit different. Bu t over time, the shape of the curve will not change much and the pattern will ho ld true.