SAMPLING

DAY 12-
WEEK 4
Rukshika peiris ( M.Ed in psychology/B.A)
1. Researcher has to select suitable sample
for the research.
2. It is usually expensive and impractical to
get everyone for the research.
3. Samples makes more manageable (select
small amount).
4. ‘People ’ in the research called ‘survey
population’.
5. ‘a list of everyone in the population’ is
called ‘ sampling frame’.

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 SAMPLING FRAMES
1. Electoral roll(electoral register)
1. Registered list with their address to vote in election.
2. Includes adults.
3. If not registered ,not allow to vote.

2. Telephone directories
1. Easily available to take name and address the one
who use land-line.

3. School register
1. List of children with their
informations(gender,address,contact no…etc)

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1. Sampling frames have problems.
2. Sometimes samples are not useful.
3. When taking census of a country they are
taking information from every single person,
it is mot a sampling.
4. Samples are taking as a representative that
researcher may apply it in to the whole
population.
5. Sample has to be a cross section of the
population.
1. Equal number of male and female
population ,then sample has generalisability.

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TYPES OF SAMPLE
1. Random Samples
2. Stratified Samples
3. Systematic Samples
4. Cluster Samples
5. Opportunity Samples
6. Quota Samples
7. Snowball Samples

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RANDOM SAMPLE
1. Everyone in the sampling frame has an
equal chance to being chosen.
2. Done by drawing names by hat.
3. (this method used in sports competitions
and lotteries)
4. This method is not always representative.

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STRATIFIED SAMPLES
1. Sampling frame can be divided.
2. Can overcome the problem of the random
sampling.
3. Can be done by sex, age, ethnic group or
any other characteristic.
4. If the sample frame first stratified then
random sample taken, this is called
‘stratified random sample’.

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SYSTEMATIC SAMPLES
1. It has regular pattern to choice.
1. Every 5th name in the sampling frame is chosen
2. It is not random.
3. Because other names in the frame has no
chance to be selected.

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CLUSTER SAMPLES
1. This is used when the population spread
out over a large area like whole country.
2. Therefore certain areas chosen.
1. A city and a rural area
2. International school and government school

3. Random samples taken in those areas to

save expenses and time.

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OPPORTUNITY SAMPLES
1. The people who are available at sampling
time.
1. When researchers stop people a the street for
the research. When people stop they are the
one who got this opportunity to take part that
research.
2. This is not random.
3. Researcher will make decision about from
whom to ask questions.
4. This is often used by the students who do
not have time to get a random sample.

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QUOTA SAMPLES
1. Researcher sent out instructions to find
people with particular qualifications.
1. 15 teenagers taking IGCSE Sociology.
2. This is often used in market research

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SNOWBALL SAMPLES
1. Well-known way of contacting people when
normal samples may not work properly.
2. Finding one respondent and getting them to
put you in touch with one or more others.
1. Interviewing gangsters-there is no sampling
frame.

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 QUESTIONS
1. Why is it important for sociologists to choose
their sampling methods and sample carefully?
2. Why are pilot studies important?
3. What are the types of sampling?
4. What are the three frames of sampling?
5. What is survey population?
6. What is sampling frame?
7. What is random sampling?
8. What is stratified sampling?
9. Give one example for snowball sampling.
10. What is the difference between quota sampling
and opportunity sampling.
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