HIT 2102:Statistic for Engineers

Oliver Mhlanga

Harare Institute of Technology

omhlanga@hit.ac.zw

August 22, 2022

Sampling Methods

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Overview

1 Sampling Methods
Probability Sampling
Non-Probability Sampling

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Sampling Methods

Why sampling?
The physical impossibility of checking all items in the population,
and, also, it would be too time-consuming.
The studying of all the items in a population would not be cost
effective.
The sample results are usually adequate.
The destructive nature of certain tests.

Sampling Techniques
Probability Sampling: Each data unit in the population has a known
likelihood of being included in the sample.
Non-probability Sampling: Does not involve random selection;
inclusion of an item is based on convenience.

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Sampling Methods

Sampling Techniques
Sampling with replacement: Each data unit in the population is
allowed to appear in the sample more than once.
Sampling without replacement: Each data unit in the population is
allowed to appear in the sample no more than once.

Probability/ Random Sampling Methods

Most commonly used probability/random sampling techniques are:
Simple random sampling
Stratified random sampling
Cluster random sampling
Systematic sampling

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Sampling Methods

Probability/ Random Sampling Methods

Simple Random Sampling (SRS): Each item(person) in the
population has an equal chance of being included.
Stratified random sampling: A population is first divided into strata
which are made up of similar observations (elements are
homogeneous). Take a simple random sample from each stratum
(population is composed of heterogeneous subgroups).
Cluster random sampling: A population is first divided into clusters
which are usually not made up of homogeneous observations, and
take a simple random sample from a random sample of clusters. In
cluster sampling sampling, we aim to have elements which are as
heterogeneous as possible within clusters and as homogeneous as
possible between clusters.

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Sampling Methods
Systematic sampling: This is a sampling procedure in which N units
in the population are numbered 1 to N in some order. In order to
select n units, we randomly select one element from the first k
elements in the frame, where k = Nn . We then select every other k th
element thereafter.
Sampling error vs non-sampling error
Sampling error: the difference between a sample statistic and its
corresponding population parameter. This error is inherent in
The sampling process (since sample is only part of the population).
The choice of statistics (since a statistics is computed based on the
sample).
Non-sample Error: This error has no relationship to the sampling
technique or the estimator. The main reasons are human-related:
data recording.
non-response.
sample selection.
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Sampling Methods
Simple random sampling without replacement (SRN)
Randomly (with equal probability) select an item, record it, and
discard it. Repeat the following process until the requested sample is
obtained.
This technique is the simplest and most often used sampling
technique in practice.

Simple random sampling with replacement (SRR)

Randomly (with equal probability) select an item, record it, and
replace it. Repeat the following process until the requested sample is
obtained.
This is rarely used in practice, since there is no meaning to include the
same item more than once. However, it is preferred from a theoretical
point of view, since it is easy to analyze mathematically and,
moreover, SRR is a very good approximation for SRN when N is large.
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Sampling Methods

Sampling distribution of sample statistic

Sampling distribution of sample statistic: The probability distribution
consisting of all possible sample statistics of a given sample size
selected from a population using one probability sampling.
The central limit theorem: The sampling distribution of the means
of all possible samples of size n generated from the population using
SRR will be approximately normally distributed when n goes to
infinity.
X̄ −µ
√ → N(0, 1), n ≥ 30
σ/ n
If n small, and we do not know σ, but we know the population is
normally distributed, then replacing the standard deviation with
sample standard deviation results in the Student’s t distribution with
degrees of freedom df = n − 1:
X̄ −µ
√ → t(n−1) , n < 30.
s/ n

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Sampling Methods
Sampling distribution of sample statistic

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Sampling Methods

Non-Probability Sampling Schemes

In non-probability sampling, chances of selection are unknown and the
laws of probability do not apply.
Generalisations to the population are not possible. Results of
investigations pertain only to the sample used in the study.
Convenience sampling :In this procedure, the researcher selects units
that are readily available to him/her.
Purposive Sampling: The researcher relies on his/her expert judgment
to select units that are representative or typical of a population.
Quota Sampling : In this procedure, each interviewer is given an
assignment of interviews specifying how many of them are to be men
or women and how many people of various ages, social classes etc are
to be included in the study. The quotas are calculated from available
data so that they represent the correct population proportions. To fill
the quotas, interviewers are free to choose anyone who meets the
quota requirement.

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 The End

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