Quantitative Research Sampling

PYC3704:
Statistics Presentation
 Quantitative Sampling: what is it all about?

• Introduction to Sampling a. The primary goal of sampling

is to get a representative sample, or a small collection of
units or cases from a much larger collection or population,
such that the researcher can study the smaller group and
produce accurate generalizations about the larger group.
Researchers focus on the specific techniques that will
yield highly representative samples (i.e., samples that are
very much like the population). Quantitative researchers
tend to use a type of sampling based on theories of
probability from mathematics, called probability sampling.
 Two Approaches to sampling
• Probability and non-probability sampling.
• Approaches to Sampling: Nonprobability and Probability Sampling
Techniques.
• Nonprobability Sampling: A sampling technique in which each unit in a
population does not have a specifiable probability of being selected. In other
words, nonprobability sampling does not select their units from the population
in a mathematically random way. As a result, non-random samples typically
produce samples that are not representative of the population. This also
means that are ability to generalize from them is very limited.
 Convenience Sampling

• A sampling procedure in which a researcher selects any cases in

any manner that is convenient to be included in the sample.
Haphazard sampling can produce ineffective, highly
unrepresentative samples and is not recommended. When a
researcher haphazardly selects cases that are convenient, he or
she can easily get a sample that seriously misrepresents the
population. Such samples are cheap and quick; however, the
systematic errors that easily occur make them worse than no
sample at all.
 Quota Sampling

• Is an improvement over haphazard sampling. In quota

sampling, a researcher first identifies relevant categories
of people (e.g., male, female; under age of 30, over the
age of 30), then decides how many to get in each
category. Thus, the number of people in various
categories of the sample is fixed.
 Purposive Sampling

• Purposive sampling is an acceptable kind of sampling for

special situations. It uses the judgment of an expert in
selecting cases or it selects cases with a specific purpose
in mind. Purposive sampling is used most often when a
difficult-to-reach population needs to be measured.
 Snowball Sampling

• Snowball sampling (also called network, chain referral, or

reputational sampling) is a method for identifying and
sampling the cases in a network. It begins with one or a
few people or cases and spreads out on the basis of links
to the initial cases.
 Probability sampling

• A sampling technique in which each unit in a population has a

specifiable chance of being selected. The motivation behind using
probability sampling is to generate a sample that is representative
of the population in which it was drawn.
• Random sampling does not guarantee that every random sample
perfectly represents the 23 population. Instead, it means that most
random samples will be close to the population most of the time,
and that one can calculate the probability of a particular sample
being accurate.
 Simple Random

• Simple Random a. In simple random sampling, a

researcher develops an accurate sampling frame, selects
elements from the sampling frame according to a
mathematically random procedure, and then locates the
exact element that was selected for inclusion in the
sample.
 Systematic sampling
• Elements are randomly selected using a sampling interval. The sampling
interval tells the researcher how to select elements from a sampling frame by
skipping elements in the frame before selecting one for the sample. For
example, a researcher would have a list of 1,000 elements in her or his
population. Let’s assume the sample size is 100. In this case, the researcher
would select every 10th case. There are two tricks to this that must be
followed: first, the sample frame must have the elements ordered in a
random way and second; the starting point (the point at which the first
element is selected for inclusion into the sample) must be determined
randomly.
 Cluster Sampling
• Cluster sampling addresses two problems: Researchers lack a good sampling frame
for a geographically dispersed population and the cost to reach a sampled element is
very high. Instead of using a single sampling frame, researchers use a sampling
design that involves multiple stages and clusters.
• A cluster is a unit that contains final sampling elements but can be treated temporarily
as a sampling element itself. In other words, the researcher randomly samples
clusters, and then randomly samples elements from within the selected clusters; this
has a big practical advantage. He or she can create a good sampling frame of
clusters, even if it is impossible to create one for sampling elements. Once the
researcher gets a sample of clusters, creating a sampling frame for elements within
each cluster becomes more manageable.
• A second advantage for geographically dispersed populations is that elements within
each cluster are physically closer to one another. This may produce a savings in
locating or reaching each element.
 Thank you

• For more information on sampling techniques, please

consider reviewing your study guide.
• Please note the information presented in this slide is for
support purposes related to your study material and is not
part of the OFFICIAL STUDY MATERIAL issued.