Sampling techniques

C.M. Selemani-Mbewe
PRESENTATION OVERVIEW
• The population
• Population types
• What is sampling?
• Why sample?
• Sampling considerations
• Sampling techniques
The population
• Consists of the totality or aggregate of the
observations with which the researcher is concerned
• Population is an accessible group of people who
meets a well-defined set of eligibility criteria.
• The utmost importance in selecting a population is
that – “the population should be clearly defined so
that the sample can be accurately identified.”
Population types

• Target population - is a group of individuals who meets the

criteria.
• Accessible population-Population that can be easily
reached
• Subject or respondent population - refers to a group of
individuals participating in the study
• Strata or stratum - is described as a mutually exclusive
segment of a population established by one or more
characteristics
What is sampling?

• Sample – Subset of the population that is selected for

a study
• Also called subjects or respondents of the study
• A shortcut method for investigating a whole
population
• Data is gathered on a small part of the whole parent
population or sampling frame, and used to inform
what the whole picture is like
Sampling

• Process of choosing a representative portion

of the entire population. – an integral part
of research methodology. – involves
selecting a group of people, events,
behaviours or other elements with which to
conduct a study.
• Element – most basic unit about which information is
collected.
• Representativeness – means that the sample must be
like the population in as many ways as possible.
• The accessible population must be representative of
the target population

.
Why sample?

• In reality there is simply not enough; time, energy, money,

labour/man power, equipment, access to suitable sites to
measure every single item or site within the parent
population or whole sampling frame.
• Therefore an appropriate sampling strategy is adopted to
obtain a representative, and statistically valid sample of the
whole.
Example of a sample
• The population of ODL students is 600, only 200 BSN
students are included as the target population and
only 100 students are chosen as samples for the
actual study.
Eligibility criteria
• A description chosen by the researcher to define
which elements should be included in or excluded
from the population.
• Such criteria may include sex, age, marital status,
education level.
Sampling theory
• Developed to determine mathematically the
most effective way to acquire a sample that
would accurately reflect the population under
study.
Key Concepts of Sampling Theory
• SAMPLING UNIT - refers to specific place or location which can be
used during sampling process.
• SAMPLING FRAME - describes the complete list of sampling units
from which the sample is drawn
• SAMPLING CRITERIA-refers to the essential characteristics of a
subject or respondent such as ability to read and write responses on
the data collection instruments
Steps involved in sampling
• Identify the target population
• Identify the subject or respondent population•
• Specify the criteria for subject or respondent selection
• Specify the sampling design
• Recruit the subjects
Sampling considerations

• Larger sample sizes are more accurate representations

of the whole
• The sample size chosen is a balance between
obtaining a statistically valid representation, and the
time, energy, money, labour, equipment and access
available
• A sampling strategy made with the minimum of bias is
the most statistically valid
Sampling considerations

• Most approaches assume that the parent population has a

normal distribution where most items or individuals
clustered close to the mean, with few extremes
• A 95% probability or confidence level is usually assumed, for
example 95% of items or individuals will be within plus or
minus two standard deviations from the mean
• This also means that up to five per cent may lie outside of
this - sampling, no matter how good can only ever be
claimed to be a very close estimate
Sample size
• Prior to the selection of sampling technique, the nurse-researcher
must first determine the size of the sample
• A sample size can be determined using the Slovin’s (1960) formula,
which is as follows: N n = --------------- 1 + Ne2 Where: n is the sample
size N is the population size e is the margin of error 1 is a constant
value
• Example: – From the population of 10,000 clients with tuberculosis, a
nurse-researcher selected a sample size with a margin of error of 5%.
– The desired sample size is computed to be 385
Types of sampling techniques

• Two basic sampling techniques used research:

• probability (random) sampling
• nonprobability (non-random) sampling.
Non-probability Sampling Techniques
• CONVENIENCE
• SIMPLE RANDOM
• QUOTA
• SYSTEMATIC
• PURPOSIVE
• STRATIFIED
• CLUSTER
• MULTI-STAGE
Probability Sampling
• Involves the selection of elements from the population using random
in which each element of the population has an equal and
independent chance of being chosen.
Simple Random Sampling
• Each member of the population has an equal chance of being
included in the samples
• Most commonly used method is the lottery or Fish Bowl technique
• In using the lottery method, there is a need for a complete listing of
the members of the population.
Simple Random Sampling
• The names or codes of all members are written on pieces of paper
cards and placed in a container.
• The researcher draws the desired number of sample from the
container.
• The process is relatively easy for small population but relatively
difficult and time consuming for a large population
Systematic Sampling Technique
• Type of probability sampling which selects samples by
following some rules set by the researcher which
involves selecting the Kth member where the random
start is determined.
• A system is a plan for selecting members after a
starting point or random start has been determined.
• Then every nth member of the population will be
determined by the system in drawing or selecting the
members of the sample
Stratified Random Sampling
• Type of probability sampling which selects
members of the sample proportionally from
each subpopulation or stratum.
• Used when the population is too large to handle
and is divided into subgroups (called strata)
Stratified Random Sampling
• Samples per stratum are then randomly selected,
but considerations must be given to the sizes of
the random samples to be drawn from the
subgroups.
• An example of procedure to use is proportional
allocation which selects the sample sizes
proportional to the sizes of the different
subgroups.
Cluster Sampling
• Used when population is divided into groups or
clusters
• Samples are selected in groups rather than
individuals which is employed into a large-scale
survey
Multi-Stage Sampling
• Selects samples using more than two sampling
techniques
• Rarely used because of the complexity of its
application
• Requires a lot of effort, time, and cost
Non-Probability Sampling

• Involves the selection of elements from a

population using non random procedures.
Characteristics of Non-Probability Sampling
• The members of sample are drawn or selected based
on the judgment of the researcher.
• The results of these techniques are relatively biased.
• The techniques lack objectivity in terms of the
selection of samples.
• The samples are not so reliable.
• The techniques are convenient and economical to use.
Types of Non-Probability Sampling
• Convenience or Accidental Sampling
• Involves the non-random selection of subjects based
on their availability or convenient accessibility.
• Quota Sampling – Involves the non-random selection
of elements based on the identification of specific
characteristics to increase the sample’s
representativeness.
Types of Non-Probability Sampling3
• Purposive Judgmental Sampling – Involves the non-
random selection of elements based on the
researcher’s judgment and knowledge about the
population.
• This is useful when a group of subjects is needed to
participate in a pre-test of newly developed
instruments or when a group of experts is desirable to
validate research information