POPULATIONS,

SAMPLES
AND
SAMPLING TECHNIQUES
 STUDY OBJECTIVES

■ At the end of the lecture, students should be able to;

– define population, sampling and a sample

– Explain the different sampling techniques

– Attempt practice questions

 Populations
■ A population is a complete set of elements (persons or objects) that possess some common

characteristic defined by the sampling criteria established by the researcher

■ Categories of a population

■ Target population: The entire group of people or objects to which the researcher wishes to

generalize the study findings e.g. all people with AIDS, all school going children

■ Accessible population: The portion of the population to which the researcher has reasonable

access; may be a subset of the target population

 Sample

■ Sample refers to selected elements (people or objects) chosen for participation in a study;

■ Sampling is the process of selecting a group of people, events, behaviours, or other elements with

which to conduct a study

■ Sampling frame is a list of all the elements in the population from which the sample is drawn

■ E.g. A list of all low birth weight infants admitted to the neonatal ICUs in KCCA
Types of Sampling Methods
Probability/random sampling Non-probability sampling
• selects random members of a • Reliant on a researcher’s ability to
population by setting a few selection select members at random.
criteria.
• This sampling method is not a fixed
• These selection parameters allow or pre-defined selection process
every member to have the equal which makes it difficult for all
opportunities to be a part of various elements of a population to have
samples. equal opportunities to be included in
a sample.
Probability sampling methods
 Simple Random Sampling

■ One of the best probability sampling techniques that helps in saving time and resources

■ It is a trustworthy method of obtaining information where every single member of a population is

chosen randomly,

– merely by chance and each individual has the exact same probability of being chosen to be a

part of a sample.

■ For example, in an organization of 500 employees, if the HR team decides on conducting team

building activities,

– it is highly likely that they would prefer picking chits out of a bowl. In this case, each of the 500

employees has an equal opportunity of being selected.

 Cluster Sampling
■ A method where the researcher divides the entire population into sections or clusters that represent a
population.

■ Clusters are identified and included in a sample on the basis of defining demographic parameters such
as age, location, sex etc.

– which makes it extremely easy for a survey creator to derive effective inference from the feed
back.

■ For example, if the government of Uganda wishes to evaluate the number of immigrants living in the
country,

– they can divide it into clusters on the basis of regions/districts etc.

– This way of conducting a survey will be more effective as the results will be organized into
organization units and provide insightful immigration data.
 Systematic Sampling
■ Members of a sample are chosen at regular intervals of a population.

■ It requires selection of a starting point for the sample and sample size that can be repeated at regular intervals.

■ This type of sampling method has a predefined interval and hence this sampling technique is the least time

consuming.

■ For example, a researcher intends to collect a systematic sample of 500 people in a population of 5000.

– Each element of the population will be numbered from 1-5000

■ and every 10th individual will be chosen to be a part of the sample

■ (Total population/ Sample Size = 5000/500 = 10).

 Stratified Random Sampling
■ the population can be divided into smaller groups,

– that don’t overlap but represent the entire population together.

■ While sampling, these groups can be organized and then draw a sample from each group separately.

■ For example, a researcher looking to analyse the characteristics of people belonging to different annual
income divisions,

– will create strata (groups) according to annual family income such as

– Less than $20,000, $21,000 – $30,000, $31,000 to $40,000, $41,000 to $50,000 etc.

– and people belonging to different income groups can be observed to draw conclusions of which
income strata have which characteristics.

■ Marketers can analyse which income groups to target and which ones to eliminate in order to create a
roadmap that would definitely bear fruitful results.
 Advantages of the Probability Sampling Method
1. Reduce Sample Bias:

• the bias in the sample derived from a population is negligible to non-existent.

• leads to higher quality data collection as the population is appropriately represented by the
sample.

2. Diverse Population:

– When the population is large and diverse, it is important to have adequate representation so
that the data is not skewed towards one demographic.

3. Create an Accurate Sample: Probability sampling helps the researchers plan and create an
accurate sample. This helps to obtain well-defined data.
Non-probability Sampling Methods
 Convenience sampling
■ This method is dependent on the ease of access to subjects such as surveying customers at a mall
or passers-by on a busy street.

■ it’s carried out on the basis of how easy it is for a researcher to get in touch with the subjects.

■ Researchers have nearly no authority over selecting elements of the sample and it’s purely done
on the basis of proximity and not representativeness.

■ used when there are time and cost limitations in collecting feedback.

■ E.g., start-ups and NGOs usually conduct convenience sampling at a mall to distribute leaflets of
upcoming events or promotion of a cause

– they do that by standing at the entrance of the mall and giving out pamphlets randomly.
 Judgmental or Purposive or deliberate Sampling

■ the sample is formed by the discretion of the judge purely considering the
purpose of study along with the understanding of target audience.

■ the participants are selected solely on the basis of research requirements and
elements who do not serve the purpose are kept out of the sample.

■ For instance, when researchers want to understand the thought process of

people who are interested in studying for their master’s degree.

■ The selection criteria will be: “Are you interested in studying for Masters in
…?” and those who respond with a “No” will be excluded from the sample.
 Snowball sampling
■ is used in studies which need to be carried out to understand subjects which are difficult to trace.

■ For example, it will be extremely challenging to survey shelterless people or illegal immigrants.

■ researchers can track a few of that particular category to interview and results will be derived on
that basis.

■ Method is implemented in situations where the topic is highly sensitive and not openly discussed
such as conducting surveys to gather information about HIV Aids.

■ Not many victims will readily respond to the questions but researchers can contact people they
might know or volunteers associated with the cause to get in touch with the victims and collect
information.
 Quota sampling

■ Members are selected on the basis of a pre-set standard.

■ a sample is formed on the basis of specific attributes,

– the created sample will have the same attributes that are found in the total

population.

■ It is an extremely quick method of collecting samples.

 Uses of Non-Probability Sampling Method

1. Create a hypothesis: used to create a hypothesis when limited to no prior information is

available. This method helps with immediate return of data and helps to build a base for any
further research.

2. Exploratory research: widely used when researchers aim at conducting qualitative research,
pilot studies or exploratory research

3. Budget and time constraints:

– used when there are budget and time constraints and some preliminary data has to be
collected.

– Since the survey design is not rigid, it is easier to pick respondents at random and have
them take the survey or questionnaire
Differences between probability and non-probability sampling
 Non-Probability Sampling
Probability Sampling Methods
Methods

• a sampling technique in which sample • a sampling technique in which the

from a larger population are chosen researcher selects samples based
Definition
using a method based on the theory of on the subjective judgment rather
probability than random selection

Alternatively Known as Random sampling method Non-random sampling method

The population is selected

Population selection The population is selected randomly
arbitrarily/subjectively
 Probability Sampling Methods Non-Probability Sampling Methods

• there is method to decide the sample, • the sampling method is arbitrary,

Sample • the population demographics is conclusively • the population demographics
represented. representation is almost always skewed

• Take a longer time to conduct • is quick since neither the sample or

Time Taken • since the research design defines the selection selection criteria of the sample is
parameters before the research study begins undefined

• is entirely biased and hence

• is entirely unbiased and hence the results are
Results • the results are biased too rendering the
unbiased too and conclusive
research speculative

• there is an underlying hypothesis before the study

begins • the hypothesis is derived after
Hypothesis
• and the objective of this method is to prove the conducting the research study
hypothesis
■ POWER AND

■ SAMPLE SIZE ESTIMATION WILL BE DISCUSSED IN

FUTURE
 Exercise

■ Think of any study topic and describe how you would select/recruit respondents into the

study using a justified sampling method in not more than 2 pages.

YES YOU CAN