Module 2 Lesson 1

Population and Sampling Procedures

Objective:
At the end of the module, students are expected to:
1) Define what population is in conducting research
2) Select population in relation to chosen topic
3) Understand research sampling and the procedures in
sampling.
4) Conduct sampling techniques based on chosen topic.
A. Pre-test
Write true if the statement is true and false if otherwise.
1. Population is a complete set of elements that possess some common characteristics. ________
2. Population are defined according to sampling criteria established by the participants in the study. _________
3. Samples are also known as respondents in research ________
4. Sampling contains a list of elements contained in a population in which samples are drawn.
____________
5. Choosing sample in the population is a process. ___________
A. Population is defined as  a complete set of elements (persons or objects) that possess some common
characteristic defined by the sampling criteria established by the researcher. It is composed of two groups
namely:
A.1 Target population – the (universe) which composed of target population and accessible population.
Examples: All institutionalized elderly with Alzheimer’s
All pregnant teens
A.2 Accessible population -the portion of the population to which the researcher has reasonable access;
may be a subset of the target population
May be limited to region, state, city, country, or institution.
Examples: All institutionalized elderly with Alzheimer's in St. Louis country nursing
homes.
All pregnant teens in the state of Missouri.
B. Samples - the selected elements (people or objects) chosen for participation in a
study; people are referred to as subjects or participants
B.1 Sampling – the process of selecting a group of people, events, behaviors, or other
elements with which to conduct a study.
B.2 Sampling frame = a list of all the elements in the population from which the sample is
drawn
 Frame is needed so that everyone in the population is identified so they will have an equal
opportunity for selection as a subject (element).
Examples: A list of all institutionalized elderly with Alzheimer's in St. Louis country
nursing homes affiliated with BJC.
A list of all pregnant teens in the Henderson school district.
Randomization = each individual in the population has an equal opportunity to be selected
for the sample.
Representativeness = sample must be as much like the population in as many ways as
possible
Sample reflects the characteristics of the population, so those sample findings can be
generalized to the population.
Most effective way to achieve representativeness is through randomization; random
selection or random assignment.
Types of Sampling Methods - probability & non-
probability
Probability Sampling Methods also called random sampling.
 Every element (member) of the population has a probability (greater than) of being selected for the sample.
 Everyone in the population has equal opportunity for selection as a subject.
 Increases samples representativeness of the population
 Decreases sampling error and sampling bias.
Types of probability sampling
Simple random – elements selected at random
assign each element a number
Draw numbers for box (hat)
Bingo #
Stratified random sampling - Population is divided into subgroups, called strata, according
to some variable or variables in importance to the study.
Variable used in the study includes age, gender, ethnic origin etc.
Two approaches to stratification:
1. Proportional - sub-group sample sizes equal the proportion of the sub-group in the
population.
Example: A high school population has
15% seniors
25% juniors
25% sophomores
35% freshmen
With proportional sample the sample has the same proportions as the population

Disproportional - Subgroup sample sizes are not equal to the proportion of the subgroup in
the population
 Class Population Sample

Seniors 15% 25%

Juniors 25% 25%

Sophomores 25% 25%

Freshmen 35% 25%

Cluster random sampling
A random sampling process that involves stages of sampling
Procedure
Randomly select 1 or more clusters and take all of their elements (single stage cluster
sampling); e.g. Midwest region of the US
Or, in a second stage randomly select clusters from the first stage of clusters; eg 3
states within the Midwest region
In a third stage, randomly select elements from the second stage of clusters; e.g. 30
county health dept. nursing administrators from each state
Systematic random sampling
A random sampling process in which every kth (e.g. every 5th element) or member of
the population is selected for the sample after a random start is determined.
Example
Population (N) = 2000, sample size (n) = 50, k=N/n, so k = 2000 ) 50 = 40
Use a table of random numbers to determine the starting point for selecting every 40th
subject
With list of the 2000 subjects in the sampling frame, go to the starting point, and select
every 40th name on the list until the sample size is reached. Probably will have to return to
the beginning of the list to complete the selection of the sample.
Non-probability sampling methods
Characteristics
Not every element of the population has the opportunity for selection in the sample
No sampling frame
Non-random selection
More likely to produce a biased sample
Restricts generalization
Types of non-probability sampling methods
Convenience sampling - aka chunk, accidental & incidental sampling
Selection of the most readily available people or objects for a study
No way to determine representativeness
Saves time and money
Quota Sampling - Selection of sample to reflect certain characteristics of the population
Similar to stratified but does not involve random selection
Quotas for subgroups (proportions) are established
E.g. 50 males & 50 females; recruit the first 50 men and first 50 women that meet
inclusion criteria
Purposive - aka judgmental or expert's choice sampling
Researcher uses personal judgement to select subjects that are considered to be
representative of the population
Handpicked subjects
Snowball sampling - Also known as network sampling
Subjects refer the researcher to others who might be recruited as subjects
Sample Size
General rule - as large as possible to increase the representativeness of the
sample
Increased size decreases sampling error
Relatively small samples in qualitative, exploratory, case studies, experimental
and quasi-experimental studies
Descriptive studies need large samples; e.g. 10 subjects for each item on the
questionnaire or interview guide
As the number of variables studied increases, the sample size also needs to increase in
order to detect significant relationships or differences
A minimum of 30 subjects is needed for use of the central limit theorem (statistics based on
the mean)
Large samples are needed if:
There are many uncontrolled variables
Small differences are expected in the sample/population on variables of interest
The sample is divided into sub-groups
Dropout rate (mortality) is expected to be high
Statistical tests used require minimum sample or subgroup size
Post- test: Explain as briefly as possible the following concepts: (40 pts.)
1. Sampling
2. Sampling procedures
3. Explain the concept of probability sampling method
4. Explain the concept of non-probability sampling method
Application:
Prepare a power point presentation showing your sample and how you
selected your samples based on your research study
Thank You!!!