11/18/2024 RESEARCH

METHODOLOGY
SAMPLING

NAME: NANDA KUMAR

STUDENT ID: 2400
COURSE: PGD FSRL
SEMESTER: SEM - 1
Introduction

A sample is a subset of individuals from a larger population. Sampling means selecting

the group that you will actually collect data from in your research. For example, if you are
researching the opinions of students in your university, you could survey a sample of 100
students. In research, sampling allows you to test a hypothesis about the characteristics
of a population.

 The population is the entire group that you want to draw conclusions about.
 The sample is the specific group of individuals that you will collect data
from.

It can be very broad or quite narrow: maybe you want to make inferences about the whole
adult population of your country; maybe your research focuses on customers of a certain
company, patients with a specific health condition, or students in a single school.

It is important to carefully define your target population according to the purpose and
practicalities of your project.

If the population is very large, demographically mixed, and geographically dispersed, it

might be di icult to gain access to a representative sample. A lack of a representative
sample a ects the validity of your results, and can lead to several research biases,
particularly sampling bias.

Sampling frame

The sampling frame is the actual list of individuals that the sample will be drawn from.
Ideally, it should include the entire target population (and nobody who is not part of that
population).

Example: You are doing research on working conditions at a social media marketing
company. Your population is all 1000 employees of the company. Your sampling frame is
the company’s HR database, which lists the names and contact details of every
employee.
Sample size

The number of individuals you should include in your sample depends on various factors,
including the size and variability of the population and your research design. There are
di erent sample size calculators and formulas depending on what you want to achieve
with statistical analysis.

In Statistics, the sampling method or sampling technique is the process of studying the
population by gathering information and analyzing that data. It is the basis of the data
where the sample space is enormous.

There are several di erent sampling techniques available, and they can be subdivided
into two groups. All these methods of sampling may involve specifically targeting hard or
approach to reach groups.

Types of Sampling Method

In Statistics, there are di erent sampling techniques available to get relevant results from
the population. The two di erent types of sampling methods are::

 Probability Sampling

 Non-probability Sampling
Probability Sampling

The probability sampling method utilizes some form of random selection. In this method,
all the eligible individuals have a chance of selecting the sample from the whole sample
space. This method is more time consuming and expensive than the non-probability
sampling method. The benefit of using probability sampling is that it guarantees the
sample that should be the representative of the population.

Probability Sampling Types

Probability Sampling methods are further classified into di erent types, such as simple
random sampling, systematic sampling, stratified sampling, and clustered sampling.

Simple Random Sampling

In simple random sampling technique, every item in the population has an equal and
likely chance of being selected in the sample. Since the item selection entirely depends
on the chance, this method is known as “Method of chance Selection”. As the sample
size is large, and the item is chosen randomly, it is known as “Representative Sampling”.

Example:

Suppose we want to select a simple random sample of 200 students from a school. Here,
we can assign a number to every student in the school database from 1 to 500 and use a
random number generator to select a sample of 200 numbers.

Systematic Sampling

In the systematic sampling method, the items are selected from the target population by
selecting the random selection point and selecting the other methods after a fixed
sample interval. It is calculated by dividing the total population size by the desired
population size.

Example:

Suppose the names of 300 students of a school are sorted in the reverse alphabetical
order. To select a sample in a systematic sampling method, we have to choose some 15
students by randomly selecting a starting number, say 5. From number 5 onwards, will
select every 15th person from the sorted list. Finally, we end up with a sample of some
students.
Stratified Sampling

In a stratified sampling method, the total population is divided into smaller groups to
complete the sampling process. The small group is formed based on a few
characteristics in the population. After separating the population into a smaller group,
the statisticians randomly select the sample.

Example:

There are three bags (A, B and C), each with di erent balls. Bag A has 50 balls, bag B has
100 balls, and bag C has 200 balls. We have to choose a sample of balls from each bag
proportionally. Suppose 5 balls from bag A, 10 balls from bag B and 20 balls from bag

Clustered Sampling

In the clustered sampling method, the cluster or group of people are formed from the
population set. The group has similar significatory characteristics. Also, they have an
equal chance of being a part of the sample. This method uses simple random sampling
for the cluster of population.

Example:

An educational institution has ten branches across the country with almost the number
of students. If we want to collect some data regarding facilities and other things, we can’t
travel to every unit to collect the required data. Hence, we can use random sampling to
select three or four branches as clusters.
Non-Probability Sampling

The non-probability sampling method is a technique in which the researcher selects the
sample based on subjective judgment rather than the random selection. In this method,
not all the members of the population have a chance to participate in the study.

Non-Probability Sampling Types

Non-probability Sampling methods are further classified into di erent types, such as
convenience sampling, consecutive sampling, quota sampling, judgmental sampling,
snowball sampling. Here, let us discuss all these types of non-probability sampling in
detail.

Convenience Sampling

In a convenience sampling method, the samples are selected from the population
directly because they are conveniently available for the researcher. The samples are easy
to select, and the researcher did not choose the sample that outlines the entire
population.

Example:

In researching customer support services in a particular region, we ask your few

customers to complete a survey on the products after the purchase. This is a convenient
way to collect data. Still, as we only surveyed customers taking the same product. At the
same time, the sample is not representative of all the customers in that area.

Consecutive Sampling

Consecutive sampling is similar to convenience sampling with a slight variation. The

researcher picks a single person or a group of people for sampling. Then the researcher
researches for a period of time to analyze the result and move to another group if needed.

Quota Sampling

In the quota sampling method, the researcher forms a sample that involves the
individuals to represent the population based on specific traits or qualities. The
researcher chooses the sample subsets that bring the useful collection of data that
generalizes the entire population.
Purposive or Judgmental Sampling

In purposive sampling, the samples are selected only based on the researcher’s
knowledge. As their knowledge is instrumental in creating the samples, there are the
chances of obtaining highly accurate answers with a minimum marginal error.

Snowball Sampling

Snowball sampling is also known as a chain-referral sampling technique. In this method,

the samples have traits that are di icult to find. So, each identified member of a
population is asked to find the other sampling units. Those sampling units also belong to
the same targeted population.
 Probability Sampling Non-probability Sampling

Probability Sampling is a sampling Non-probability sampling method is a

technique in which samples taken technique in which the researcher
from a larger population are chosen chooses samples based on subjective
based on probability theory. judgment, preferably random
selection.

These are also known as Random These are also called non-random
sampling methods. sampling methods.

These are used for research which is These are used for research which is
conclusive. exploratory.

These are easy ways to collect the data

These involve a long time to get the data.
quickly.

There is an underlying hypothesis in

probability sampling before the study The hypothesis is derived later by conducting
starts. Also, the objective of this the research study in the case of non-
method is to validate the defined probability sampling
hypothesis.

Sampling Error

The next crucial concept after sampling distribution is sampling error. Sampling error
indicates the precision of the statistical estimate with a lower value meaning that the
sample is more precise.

It is calculated by looking at the variability or range in the sampling distribution, known as

the standard error. The sampling error is derived from the standard deviation of the
samples.

If the standard deviation is less in the samples, there is less variability in the sampling
distribution (less stand error), leading to low sampling error. There are many ways to
reduce sampling error.

The most common way is to increase the sample size. As bigger the sample size, the
closer the sample is to the population.
Conclusion

Sampling techniques are very useful and valuable because the data can be collected
from the samples easily as compared to the census method. So also sampling
techniques help the researcher to concentrate and study a portion of the universe thus
making the research work manageable and feasible. There are many sampling
techniques available to a researcher and each sampling technique has got a significance
of its own.

The research should have detailed knowledge of the universe as well as the various
sampling techniques and then he should choose the most suitable sampling technique.
All the sampling techniques are helpful in collecting data. However if a sampling error
exists then the advantage of the sampling is lost and erroneous data is collected resulting
into erroneous conclusions. So it is said that sampling technique has the potential of
either making or wrecking of the research conclusions.
 References

1. Sampling Techniques by Bhagyashree Deshpande and Anuradha Girme

2. Research Methodology (Methods and Techniques) by CR Kothari

3. Methods of Social Research by Bailey, Kenneth D.

4. The Design of Social Research by Acko , Russell L.