STEP IV Selecting a Sample

Ch12

Ali
 Objectives
• In this chapter you will learn about:
• The differences between sampling in qualitative and quantitative research
• Definitions of sampling terminology
• The theoretical basis for sampling
• Factors affecting the inferences drawn from a sample
• Different types of sampling including:
• Random/probability sampling designs
• Non-random/non-probability sampling designs
• The ‘mixed’ sampling design
• The calculation of sample size
• The concept of saturation point
 The differences between sampling in quantitative and qualitative
research
• In quantitative research you attempt to select a sample in such a way that it is
unbiased and represents the population from where it is selected.
• In qualitative research, number considerations may influence the selection of a
sample such as: the ease in accessing the potential respondents; your judgement
that the person has extensive knowledge about an episode, an event or a situation
of interest to you; how typical the case is of a category of individuals or simply
that it is totally different from the others.
• The determination of sample size in quantitative and qualitative research:
• In quantitative research you are guided by a predetermined sample size that is based upon a
number of other considerations in addition to the resources available.
• In qualitative research you do not have a predetermined sample size but during the data
collection phase you wait to reach a point of data saturation.
 Determining sample design:
• All the items under consideration in any field of inquiry constitute a ‘universe’ or
‘population’.
• A complete enumeration of all the items in the ‘population’ is known as a census inquiry.
• It can be presumed that in such an inquiry when all the items are covered no element of
chance is left and highest accuracy is obtained. But in practice this may not be true. Even
the slightest element of bias in such an inquiry will get larger and larger as the number of
observations increases.
• Moreover, there is no way of checking the element of bias or its extent except through a
resurvey or use of sample checks.
• Besides, this type of inquiry involves a great deal of time, money and energy.
• Not only this, census inquiry is not possible in practice under many circumstances.
• For instance, blood testing is done only on sample basis. Hence, quite often we select only a
few items from the universe for our study purposes.
• The items so selected constitute what is technically called a sample.
• Samples can be either probability samples or non-probability samples.
• With probability samples each element has a known probability of being included in the sample
but
• the non-probability samples do not allow the researcher to determine this probability.
• Probability samples are those based on simple random sampling, systematic sampling, stratified
sampling, cluster/area sampling whereas non-probability samples are those based on
convenience sampling, judgment sampling and quota sampling techniques.
• A brief mention of the important sample designs is as follows:
• (i) Deliberate sampling: convenient sampling: judgment sampling
• (ii) Simple random sampling
• (iii) Systematic sampling
• (iv) Stratified sampling
• (v) Quota sampling
• (vi) Cluster sampling and area sampling
• (vii) Multi-stage sampling
• (viii) Sequential sampling
• In practice, several of the methods of sampling described above may well be used in the same
study in which case it can be called mixed sampling.
• It may be pointed out here that normally one should resort to random sampling so that bias can
be eliminated and sampling error can be estimated.