Unit IX

Sampling
Sher Alam Khan
 Population

• All the inhabitants of a given country or area

considered together; the number of inhabitants of a
given country or area
• The population is all elements (individuals, objective,
or substance) that meet certain criteria for inclusions
in a study (Kerlinger, 1986).
 Population

– Target Population
• The group from which the study population is selected
– Study Population
• The group selected for investigation
– Elements of a population
• The subject on which the measurement is collected
 Sampling

• Sample
– A sample is a subset of the population that is
selected for a particular study, and the members of a
sample are the subjects.
 Sampling

• Sampling

– The process of selecting a number from all the subjects

– is a process of selecting subjects who are representative of the

population being studied

• Sampling frame
List of Participants
Sampling Type

• Probability
• Simple Random sampling
• Stratified Random Sampling
• Cluster sampling
• Systematic Sampling
• Non Probability
• Convenience sampling
• Quota Sampling
• Purposive sampling
• Network Sampling
Probability Sampling

• Is a method of sampling that utilizes

some form of random selection. In order
to have a random selection method, you
must set up some process or procedure
that assures that the different units in
your population have equal probabilities
of being chosen.
Simple Random Sampling

• Objective
– To select n units out of N such that each unit
has an equal chance of being selected.
• Procedure
– Use a table of random numbers, a computer
random number generator, or a mechanical
device to select the sample.
Stratified Random Sample

A stratified random sample is one obtained

by separating the population elements
into non-overlapping groups, called
strata, and then selecting a simple
random sample from each stratum.
Systematic Random Sampling
Number the units in the population from 1
to N decide on the n (sample size) that
you want or need k = N/n = the interval
size randomly select an integer between
1 to k then take every kth unit
Systematic Random Sampling
All of this will be much clearer with an
example. Let's assume that we have a
population that only has N=100 people in it
and that you want to take a sample of n=20.
To use systematic sampling, the population
must be listed in a random order. The
sampling fraction would be f = 20/100 =
20% in this case, the interval size, k, is equal
to N/n = 100/20 = 5.
Systematic Random Sampling

Now, select a random integer from 1 to 5. In

our example, imagine that you chose 4.
Now, to select the sample, start with the 4th
unit in the list and take every k-th unit
(every 5th, because k=5). You would be
sampling units 4, 9, 14, 19, and so on to
100 and you would wind up with 20 units
in your sample.
Cluster Sampling

– Divide population into clusters (usually along

geographic boundaries)
– Randomly sample clusters
– Measure all units within sampled clusters
Cluster Sampling

• is a probability sample in which each

sample unit is a collection, or cluster, of
elements.
• The first task in cluster sampling is to
specify appropriate clusters.
– Elements within a cluster are often
physically close together and hence tent to
have similar characteristics.
Non Probability sampling

• Convenience sampling
• Quota Sampling
• Purposive sampling
• Network Sampling
 Convenience sampling

• is used in exploratory research where the

researcher is interested in getting an inexpensive
approximation of the truth. As the name implies,
the sample is selected because they are
convenient. This non-probability method is often
used during preliminary research efforts to get a
gross estimate of the results, without incurring
the cost or time required to select a random
sample.
Quota Sampling

• It uses a convenience sampling technique

with added feature - a strategy to ensure the
inclusion of subjects types who are likely to
be underrepresented in the convenience
sample e.g. ethnicity , Hindu religion in
Pakistan
 Quota sampling

• is the non-probability equivalent of stratified

sampling. Like stratified sampling, the
researcher first identifies the stratums and their
proportions as they are represented in the
population. Then convenience or judgment
sampling is used to select the required number
of subjects from each stratum. This differs from
stratified sampling, where the stratums are filled
by random sampling.
 Purposive /Judgment
Sampling

• is a common non-probability method. The

researcher selects the sample based on
judgment. This is usually and extension of
convenience sampling. For example, a
researcher may decide to draw the entire sample
from one "representative" city, even though the
population includes all cities. When using this
method, the researcher must be confident that
the chosen sample is truly representative of the
entire population.
 Network / Snowball Sampling
• is a special non-probability method used when the
desired sample characteristic is rare. It may be
extremely difficult or cost prohibitive to locate
respondents in these situations. Snowball sampling
relies on referrals from initial subjects to generate
additional subjects. While this technique can
dramatically lower search costs, it comes at the
expense of introducing bias because the technique
itself reduces the likelihood that the sample will
represent a good cross section from the population.