Contents

Introduction ............................................................................................................................................. 1

Research Population ................................................................................................................................ 1

Research Sample ..................................................................................................................................... 2

Importance of sampling. .......................................................................................................................... 3

Representative sample and its relevance in research ............................................................................... 3

Generalization and Generalizability ........................................................................................................ 5

Conclusion............................................................................................................................................... 6

References ............................................................................................................................................... 7

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 Samples are representative and permits a valid generalization for the overall population.

Introduction
Research studies are usually carried out on sample of subjects as opposed to entire populaces.
One of the purposes of embarking on research is to clearly reveal the characteristics of a group
of people. In other to achieve this, all the members of stated group of people would have to be
studied. All members of this group of people are referred to as the population of the study.

A research population is generally a large collection of individuals or objects that is the main
focus of a scientific query (Barnes et. al., 2012). This is impractical in terms of cost and time in
situations where the population of the study is of large number. Samples are therefore taken
from the population and results are generalized to the population. The generalization of the
results is directly influenced by how representative the sample was. Details of pertinent
concepts related to this study are further discussed in this exposition.

Research Population
In research, the Population can be explain as a comprehensive group of individuals, institutions,
objects and so forth with have a common characteristics that are the interest of a researcher.
The common characteristics of the groups distinguish them from other individual, institutions,
objects, etc. (Rafeedalie, 2019). Banerjee and Chaudhury, (2010) described a population is an
entire group about which some information is required to be ascertained. Population doesn’t
necessary consist only of people. We can have population of heights, weights, events, outcomes,
so long as the population is well defined with explicit ‘inclusion and exclusion’ criteria.

In selecting a population for a study, the research question or purpose of the study will suggest
a suitable definition of the population to be studied, in terms of location and restriction to a
particular age group, sex or occupation. The population must be fully defined so that those to
be included and excluded are clearly spelt out (inclusion and exclusion criteria) (Banerjee and

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Chaudhury, 2010). For example, if we say that our study populations are all architects in Accra,
we would have to state whether the population includes non-practicing architects, or those who
have left the city but still registered in Accra, or even architects who are not citizens but resident
in Accra.

There are, certainly, some limitations with studying populations, mostly in that it is rare to be
able to observe all of the individuals in any given group. For this reason, researchers who use
statistics also study subpopulations and take statistical samples of small portions of larger
populations to more accurately analyze the full spectrum of behaviors and characteristics of the
population at large (Explorable.com, 2009).

There are two main types of population, the target population and the accessible population.
The target population is who the researcher wants to study, and the accessible population is
who the researcher can actually study. Resource restrictions such as budget constraints,
geographical location and time contribute to the need for a limited research population. When
it is not practical to recruit every human being in the target population, it is necessary to employ
an accessible population as a subset of the target group (Lori Hubbard, 2012).

Research Sample
A sample is simply a subset of the population. The concept of sample arises from the inability
of the researchers to test or study all the individuals in a given population. The sample must be
representative of the population from which it was drawn and it must have good size to warrant
statistical analysis. A sample allows the collected information to be abstracted to a greater
population. For most of market research and psychological studies, since it is unsuitable in
terms of time, money and resources to collect data on everyone, it is practically impossible to
collect data from each and every person especially, for a large population such as an entire
country (question pro, 2019).

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The main function of the sample is to allow the researchers to conduct the study to individuals
from the population so that the results of their study can be used to derive conclusions that will
apply to the entire population (Explorable.com, 2009). Thus, a research study seeks to
contextualize its findings within the larger body of research known as the population. This is
referred to as generalization (Unite For Sight, 2013).

Importance of sampling.
Although the total population is what the researcher wishes to study, it is very rare to be able to
perform a census of every individual member of the population. Due to constraints of resources,
time, and accessibility, it is nearly impossible to perform a measurement on every subject. As
a result, many researchers use inferential statistics, where scientists are able to study only a
small portion of the population and still observe tangible results.

Rather than performing measurements on every member of the population, the researcher
consider a subset of this population called a statistical sample. These samples provide
measurements of the individuals that tell scientists about corresponding measurements in the
population, which can then be repeated and compared with different statistical samples to more
accurately describe the whole population. Sample saves cost and time and if representative
enough increases generalizability to the population.

Representative sample and its relevance in research

To get the views or responses of the population, it wouldn’t be necessary to interview the entire
population, instead a sample is selected for their opinions. As far as possible the sample of
people interviewed should be representative of the target population in terms of their
characteristics (demographic, attitudinal and behavioral). A representative sample is defined as

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a small quantity or a subset of something larger, such that, it represents the same properties and
proportions as that of its larger population. (question pro, 2019).

Representative samples are important as they ensure that all relevant types of people are
included in your sample and that the right mix of people are interviewed. If your sample isn’t
representative it will be subject to bias and wouldn’t be a true representation of the population
of the study. For instance the head of department of Architecture, KNUST is embarking on a
research project on whether or not the architecture studios need air conditioners, yet he
interviewed only undergraduate classes. The sample of his research isn’t a representation of the
entire architecture student body and hence the results wouldn’t be representative enough to be
generalized to the entire population.

Sample bias could be either selection bias or response bias (Watt and Berg, 2002). The earlier
example is known as selection bias. This type of bias is introduced when some potential
observations or participants from the population are excluded from the sample by some means
(In this case, the post graduate architecture students).

Response bias is difficult to avoid. It occurs when the cases chosen for inclusion in the sample
systematically exclude themselves from participation in the research (Watt and Berg, 2002).
For example, we can’t force people to complete surveys. Those that don’t accept the invitations
to participate may well be different in some way to those that take part. For example, the busier
people are generally the less likely they are to take part in surveys. Busy people are therefore
likely to be under-represented in research (Austin Research, 2014). Sample bias can’t therefore
be eliminated, however it is necessary to minimize it in a research study and avoid if possible.
Certain groups may be over-represented and their opinions magnified while others may be
under-represented or overlooked.

A representative sample allows the collected results to be generalized to a larger population.

The participants in research should be as representative as possible of the target population. The
more representative the sample, the more confident the researcher can be that the results can be
generalized to the target population.

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A larger representative sample gives us greater certainty that the people included in the study
are those needed and also reduce any bias (question pro, 2019). In order to avoid inaccuracy in
surveys, the samples selected must be representative and balanced as well. If a sample is drawn
without taking into account representativeness, results received from a research will not be
accurate and would not be any better to represent the opinion of the target population
(Statisticssolution, 2017).

There are 2 ways of deriving representative samples for research surveys: probability sampling
and non-probability sampling:

Probability or random sampling involves choosing respondents from your target population at
random minimizing potential sample bias. However, to be able to sample randomly you need
to know up-to-date details of everyone in your target population.

Non-probability or purposive sampling is much more widely used. Controls are placed on the
types of respondents chosen for the survey in terms of quotas and we specifically look for
different types of people to interview to make sure the sample is correctly balanced.

Generalization and Generalizability

Generalization is a very common human process. We all draw conclusions about reality from a
limited amount of experience (Watt and Berg, 2002). This saves us effort, but often can mislead
us, because our experiences may be so limited or selective that the conclusions drawn from
them are quite wrong. For instance if I purchase a Huawei phone which freezes frequently, I
might tell my friends that “all Huawei phones are sluggish”. But probably, it’s only my Huawei
which behaves this way, and all the others perform smoothly are very high quality. Another
person may have a wonderful experience with his Huawei phone and conclude that Huawei
smartphones are the best mobile devices made.

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Statistical generalization is the process where the scientist takes his or her conclusions, which
are based on the observation of a limited number of cases, and extends these conclusions to
cover all the other unobserved cases that fit in the same category (Watt and Berg, 2002).

Generalizability is a measure of how well a researcher thinks their experimental results from a
sample can be extended to the population as a whole. It is usually used in academic research,
but it’s sometimes applied to research in other settings.

Characteristics must appear in the same proportions in the sample as they are so in the target
population as a whole. The researchers must make sure the people they are studying are typical
of the target population (Thomas, 2019). If they are typical then the research is representative
and can have generalizations made about it. The relationship between representative sample
and generalization is directly proportional, a more prominent representativeness guarantees and
ensures a more noteworthy generalization.

Since generalization of research results are based from the samples of the study, if a sample
bias exist, we cannot obtain a valid and acceptable generalization.

Conclusion
The researcher might not be able to study the entire target population of his study due to
constraints of cost, time, size of population and other factors. A fraction of the population would
have to be studied. Larger samples doesn’t necessarily guarantee a reliable result or conclusion
to be generalized. However, a representative sample, which is a true depiction of the target
population in terms of their characteristics, provides the foundation on which results or findings
could be generalized.

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 References
1. Austin Research (2014) The importance of representative samples and how to get
them | Austin Research - Market Research Consultants. Available at:
https://austinresearch.co.uk/the-importance-of-representative-samples-and-how-to-get-
them/ (Accessed: 8 March 2019).
2. Banerjee, A. and Chaudhury, S. (2010) ‘Statistics without tears: Populations and
samples.’, Industrial psychiatry journal. Wolters Kluwer -- Medknow Publications,
19(1), pp. 60–5. doi: 10.4103/0972-6748.77642.
3. Barnes, J. et al. (2005) Generalizability and Transferability, Colorado State
University. Available at: https://writing.colostate.edu/guides/guide.cfm?guideid=65
(Accessed: 8 March 2019).
4. Explorable.com (2009) Research Population - The Focus Group of a Scientific Query,
Explorable. Available at: https://explorable.com/research-population (Accessed: 7
March 2019).
5. Lori Hubbard (2012) What Is the Difference Between the Target Population & the
Experimentally Accessible Population? | Business & Entrepreneurship -
azcentral.com, demand media. Available at:
https://yourbusiness.azcentral.com/difference-between-target-population-
experimentally-accessible-population-28443.html (Accessed: 8 March 2019).
6. question pro (2019) Representative Sample: Definition, Importance, How to Obtain a
Representative Sample and Example | QuestionPro. Available at:
https://www.questionpro.com/blog/representative-sample/ (Accessed: 8 March 2019).
7. Rafeedalie (2019) Research: Population and Sample | Top Hat. Available at:
https://tophat.com/marketplace/social-science/education/course-notes/oer-research-
population-and-sample-dr-rafeedalie/1196 (Accessed: 6 March 2019).
8. Statisticssolution (2017) What is a Representative Sample? - Statistics Solutions, very
well website. Available at: https://www.statisticssolutions.com/what-is-a-
representative-sample/ (Accessed: 8 March 2019).
9. Thomas, S. (2019) Representativeness And Generalisability by Sian Thomas on Prezi.

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 Available at: https://prezi.com/yyjqinxmixee/representativeness-and-generalisability/
(Accessed: 10 March 2019).
10. Unite For Sight (2013) ‘Module 6: The Importance of Research - Research
Methodology Course’, pp. 2–3. Available at: http://www.uniteforsight.org/research-
methodology/module6 (Accessed: 6 March 2019).
11. Watt, J. H. and Berg, S. van den (2002) ‘Chapter 5: Populations and Samples’,
Research Methods For Communication Science, pp. 50–61.

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