Types of Random Sampling Techniques

By Carol Wiley, eHow Contributor

updated April 25, 2011
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Sampling is the process of getting information from only part of a larger group. The two types of
sampling are random sampling and nonrandom sampling. Nonrandom sampling uses some criteria for
choosing the sample whereas random sampling does not. The four types of random sampling
techniques are simple random sampling, systematic sampling, stratified random sampling and cluster
random sampling.

1. Simple Random Sampling

o Simple random sampling is the most basic and well-known type of random sampling
technique. In simple random sampling, every case in the population being sampled
has an equal chance of being chosen. It is an equal probability sampling method
(EPSEM). EPSEMs are important because they produce representative samples. The
most basic way to do a simple random sample is to pull names out of a hat, but today
researchers usually use computer programs to select the samples.

Systematic Sampling
o Systematic sampling, a variation of simple random sampling, is also an EPSEM. In
systematic sampling, you make a list of potential samples and then choose every nth
element on the list as a sample. Choosing samples is a three-step process, best
illustrated by an example: The list has 10,000 potential samples, and you want 1,000
samples. First, divide the number of potential samples by the number of desired
samples to arrive at a value called n (10,000 divided by 1,000 gives an n of 10).
Second, select a random number between one and the value arrived at Step 1 (for this
example, let's choose 5). Third, start with a number chosen in Step 2 and then use
every nth potential sample. (In this example, start the sampling at 5 and then use every
10th record -- 5, 15, 25...). Systematic sampling has the potential to be biased if the list
has been arranged in any type of order.

Stratified Random Sampling

o Stratified random sampling involves dividing the potential samples into two or more
mutually exclusive groups based on categories of interest in the research. The purpose
is to organize the potential samples into homogenous subsets before sampling. For
example, you could divide the potential samples based on gender, race or occupation.
You then draw a random sample from each subset. Stratified random sampling is
common because it ensures that each subgroup of the larger group is adequately
represented in the sample.
The two types of stratified sampling random sampling are proportionate and disproportionate. In
proportionate sampling, the sample sizes are proportional to the population sizes. For example, if the
potential samples are 50 percent male and 50 percent female, the samples chosen are also 50 percent
male and 50 percent female. In disproportionate methods, the sample sizes are not proportional to the
population sizes.

Cluster Random Sampling

o In cluster random sampling, you randomly select clusters instead of individual samples
in the first stage of sampling. For example, a cluster might be a school, a team or a
village. This technique is used when no list of individual samples is available. Usually,
the way this type of sampling is done is by starting at the higher level clusters and then
sampling at subsequent levels until individual samples are reached.

References
• Research Portals Ltd.: Sampling and Samples
• Columbia CNMTL: Types of Sampling
• University of South Alabama: Sampling
http://www.ehow.com/info_8295415_types-random-sampling-techniques.html

In statistics, a simple random sample is a subset of individuals (a sample) chosen from a larger set
(a population). Each individual is chosen randomly and entirely by chance, such that each individual has the
same probability of being chosen at any stage during the sampling process, and each subset
of k individuals has the same probability of being chosen for the sample as any other subset
of k individuals[1]. This process and technique is known as simple random sampling, and should not be
confused with Random Sampling.

In small populations and often in large ones, such sampling is typically done "without replacement"
('SRSWOR'), i.e., one deliberately avoids choosing any member of the population more than once. Although
simple random sampling can be conducted with replacement instead, this is less common and would
normally be described more fully as simple random sampling with replacement ('SRSWR'). Sampling done
without replacement is no longer independent, but still satisfies exchangeability, hence many results still
hold. Further, for a small sample from a large population, sampling without replacement is approximately
the same as sampling with replacement, since the odds of choosing the same individual twice is low.

An unbiased random selection of individuals is important so that in the long run, the sample represents the
population. However, this does not guarantee that a particular sample is a perfect representation of the
population. Simple random sampling merely allows one to draw externally valid conclusions about the entire
population based on the sample.

Conceptually, simple random sampling is the simplest of the probability sampling techniques. It requires a
complete sampling frame, which may not be available or feasible to construct for large populations. Even if
a complete frame is available, more efficient approaches may be possible if other useful information is
available about the units in the population.

Advantages are that it is free of classification error, and it requires minimum advance knowledge of the
population other than the frame. Its simplicity also makes it relatively easy to interpret data collected via
SRS. For these reasons, simple random sampling best suits situations where not much information is
available about the population and data collection can be efficiently conducted on randomly distributed
items, or where the cost of sampling is small enough to make efficiency less important than simplicity. If
these conditions are not true,stratified sampling or cluster sampling may be a better choice.

[edit]Distinction
between a systematic random sample and a simple
random sample
In a simple random sample, one person must take a random sample from a population, and not have any
order in which one chooses the specific individual.

Let us assume you had a school with 1000 students, divided equally into boys and girls, and you wanted to
select 100 of them for further study. You might put all their names in a bucket and then pull 100 names out.
Not only does each person have an equal chance of being selected, we can also easily calculate the
probability of a given person being chosen, since we know the sample size (n) and the population (N) and it
becomes a simple matter of division:

n/N or 100/1000 = 0.10 (10%)

This means that every student in the school has a 10% or 1 in 10 chance of being selected using this
method. Further, all combinations of 100 students have the same probability of selection.

If a systematic pattern is introduced into random sampling, it is referred to as "systematic (random)

sampling". For instance, if the students in our school had numbers attached to their names ranging from
0001 to 1000, and we chose a random starting point, e.g. 0533, and then pick every 10th name thereafter to
give us our sample of 100 (starting over with 0003 after reaching 0993). In this sense, this technique is
similar to cluster sampling, since the choice of the first unit will determine the remainder. This is no longer
simple random sampling, because some combinations of 100 students have a larger selection probability
than others - for instance, {3, 13, 23, ..., 993} has a 1/10 chance of selection, while {1, 2, 3, ..., 100} cannot
be selected under this method.

[edit]Sampling a dichotomous population

If the members of the population come in two kinds, say "white" and "black", one can consider the
distribution of the number of red elements in a sample of a given size. That distribution depends on the
numbers of red and black elements in the full population. For a simple random sample with replacement,
the distribution is a binomial distribution. For a simple random sample without replacement, one obtains
a hypergeometric distribution.

[edit]References

1. ^ Yates, Daniel S.; David S. Moore, Daren S. Starnes (2008). The Practice of Statistics, 3rd

Ed.. Freeman. ISBN 978-0-7167-7309-2.