SAMPLING METHOD

DR. KHALID MANZOOR BUTT

 INTRODUCTION

When research plan specifies the inclusion of people, the investigator may
decide.

1. To study the entire population of elements (people or things)

2. To study only a portion of elements taken from the larger portion of
population.

Miniature of population called sample

INTRODUCTION
Population/Target population:
It is usually the whole population or
universe to which research results are to be generalized. (For example,
all adult population of the U.S)

Element (similar to unit of analysis):

This is that unit about which
information is collected and that provides the basis of analysis. In
survey research, elements are people or certain types of people.

The process of drawing those elements from the larger population

or universe is called sampling.
THE NATURE OF SAMPLE
PLANS
(a) Probability (b) Non-probability

Probability Sampling plans are those that specify the probability or

likelihood of the inclusion of each element.

(1) Population or universe from which the sample will be obtained

must be known.
(2) The desire sample size must be specified.
(3) Each element or group of elements must have an equal chance of
being included in the subsequent sample.
KINDS OF PROBABILITY
SAMPLING
1. Simple Random Sampling
2. Systematic Sampling
 THE NATURE OF SAMPLE PLANS
Some times the population studied is so large as to be considered infinite
and unknowable for all practical purposes.

The population of Pakistan is so large and changes so rapidly

(thousand of people die and many others are born every hour) that it is
quite impossible for any research organization, particularly a single
investigator, to identify all elements at any given point in time and to
ensure that each element will have an equal opportunity of being included
in a subsequent sample.

A positive feature of probability sampling plans is that the resultant

samples are considered representatives.
The larger the sample, the smaller the sampling error.
NON-PROBABILITY SAMPLING
PLANS
Non-probability sampling plans are those that provide no basis for
estimating how closely the sample characteristics approximate the
parameters of the population from which the sample was obtained.

The Decision to Sample

(1) The size of the population.

(2) The cost of obtaining the elements.
(3) The convenience and accessibility of the elements.
KINDS OF NON-PROBABILITY
SAMPLING

1. The Quota Sampling

2. Accidental Sampling
3. Judgmental or Purposive Sampling
4. Snowball Sampling
 THE SIZE OF THE POPULATION
• If the population to be studied is relatively small, say, less than 500
elements, the investigator may decide not to sample at all, but rather, to
study the entire population.

• If the population to be studied is quite large, sampling becomes a more

feasible alternative to studying the entire universe of elements.

• Sample also depends on how much money the researcher has budgeted
for the research project.

• A third consideration in deciding to sample is: How accessible are the

elements in the population specified?
THE FISH BOWL DRAW
The simplest and most familiar type of sample selection consists of
putting numbers on slips of paper or marbles and depositing them in a
large container.

Presumably the entire population of elements has been numbered and is

represented in the bowl. After mixing the numbers thoroughly, the
investigator selects one number at a time, blindfolded, until the desired
sample size is obtained. This is called a Random sample.
COMPUTER-DETERMINED RANDOM
SAMPLING (PROBABILITY SAMPLING)

If the population under investigation is particularly large (in

thousands) if the facilities are available, it would profit the researcher
to use a computer system to obtain a random number of elements
corresponding to elements in the population.
 SYSTEMATIC SAMPLING
(PROBABILITY SAMPLING)

Systematic sampling is defined as obtaining a collection of elements by

drawing every tenth person from a predetermined list of them. Drawing
every fifth name from the city directory or telephone book is systematic
sampling.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22….
THE QUOTA SAMPLE
(NONPROBABILITY SAMPLING)
Quota sampling is defined as obtaining a desired number of elements
by selecting those most accessible to the researcher and those that
possess certain characteristics of interest to him.

The researcher may specify to his interviewers that he wants them to

interview a given number of individuals who are non Muslims, have 6
feet height and live out side Lahore.
FA/ FSc--- BA /BSc Honors---MPhil
ACCIDENTAL SAMPLES
(NONPROBABILITY SAMPLING)
Accidental samples are identical to quota samples with the following
exception. Whereas quota samples attempts to include people posing
apparent social characteristics, accidental samples makes no such
attempt.

The investigator is guided principally by convenience and economy. He

does not care about including people with specific traits. He takes what
he can find and is content with it. Because this is the crude sampling
method he can employ, he is obviously aware that little or nothing
aware can be generalized from a sample obtained in this manner.
(Bald males)
One goes in streets and starts questioning the elements he finds of that
population.
JUDGMENTAL OR PURPOSIVE SAMPLING
(NONPROBABILITY SAMPLING)
A purposive sample is one that has been handpicked by the
investigator to fully ensure that specific elements are included.

The high degree of selectivity accompanying this technique

supposedly guarantees that all the relevant strata will be
represented in a given research design.

Purposive samples are frequently called judgmental samples

because the investigator exercise his judgment to include
elements.
SNOWBALL SAMPLING
(NONPROBABILITY SAMPLING)
For special sampling situations when the researcher is interested in
obtaining an impression of informal social relations among individuals,
snowball sampling may be applied.

Snowball sampling is defined as having all individual in a limited

group or organization identify their friends and associates and having
their friends identify their friends and associates, until the researcher
observe a constellation of friendships converge into some kind of
complete social pattern. This sampling technique is basically socio-
metric.