Purpose of Sampling

SAMPLING IS VITAL FOR STUDYING MANAGEABLE

SUBSETS WHEN RESEARCHING AN ENTIRE GROUP IS
IMPRACTICAL. IT HELPS DERIVE FINDINGS RELEVANT TO
THE ENTIRE GROUP BY CAREFULLY SELECTING
REPRESENTATIVE CASES. THIS PRESENTATION COVERS
SAMPLING FUNDAMENTALS, BENEFITS, DRAWBACKS, AND
TERMINOLOGY.
 SAMPLING
FUNDAMENTALS

Why Sample?
PRACTICALITY DRIVES SAMPLING; BETTER
INFORMATION CAN BE OBTAINED FROM WELL-
DRAWN SAMPLES THAN STUDYING ENTIRE LARGE
GROUPS. VALIDITY OF RESULTS DEPENDS ON HOW
WELL SAMPLES REPRESENT THE TARGET
POPULATION, ALLOWING LEGITIMATE
GENERALIZATIONS.
 SAMPLING
POPULATIONS AND SAMPLES:
• A POPULATION REFERS TO ALL POSSIBLE CASES OF WHAT IS BEING STUDIED WHILE
• A SAMPLE CONSISTS OF ONE OR MORE ELEMENTS SELECTED FROM A POPULATION

DEFINING A POPULATION:
TERMINOLOGY
(A) CONTENT: THE SHARED CHARACTERISTIC,
(B) UNITS: THE UNIT OF ANALYSIS,
(C) EXTENT: SPATIAL/GEOGRAPHIC COVERAGE,
(D) TIME: THE TEMPORAL PERIOD FOR QUALIFICATION
SAMPLING FRAME
• IS A LISTING OF ALL ELEMENTS IN A POPULATION
ORGANIZATIONAL LISTS AS SAMPLING FRAMES
• THE POPULATION CONSISTS OF THOSE ON THE LIST, AND GENERALIZATIONS CAN ONLY BE MADE ABOUT THAT
SPECIFIC GROUP

HOUSEHOLD-BASED SURVEYS AND SAMPLING FRAMES

• TWO TYPES OF LISTINGS CONSIDERED ARE (A) TELEPHONE NUMBERS AND (B) LISTS OF ADDRESSES
(ADDRESS-BASED SAMPLING).
 LEARNING FROM
EXPERIENCE: POOR SAMPLE
FRAMES
HISTORICAL EXAMPLE OF LITERARY DIGEST'S FAILED 1936 ELECTION PREDICTION DUE TO
AN INADEQUATE SAMPLING FRAME. EMPHASIZES THE VULNERABILITY OF HUMAN
SERVICE RESEARCH AND THE NEED FOR CAREFUL ASSESSMENT OF SAMPLING FRAMES.,
THEY DREW THEIR SAMPLE FROM LISTS OF AUTOMOBILE OWNERS AND TELEPHONE
DIRECTORIES. THE FLAW IN THEIR APPROACH BECAME EVIDENT AS A SIGNIFICANT
PORTION OF ELIGIBLE VOTERS, ESPECIALLY THOSE FROM LOWER-INCOME
BACKGROUNDS, DID NOT OWN CARS OR HAVE TELEPHONES DURING THE GREAT
DEPRESSION. CONSEQUENTLY, THE SAMPLE DID NOT REPRESENT THE TARGET
POPULATION, AND THEIR PREDICTION OF A SUBSTANTIAL WIN FOR LANDON WAS PROVEN
WRONG WHEN ROOSEVELT EMERGED VICTORIOUS.
 PROBABILITY SAMPLES: ROOTED
IN PROBABILITY THEORY
PROBABILITY SAMPLING SYSTEMATIC SAMPLING:
METHODS: • SELECTS EVERY KTH
• PROBABILITY SAMPLING ROOTED IN
ELEMENT.
PROBABILITY THEORY ENHANCES
REPRESENTATIVENESS. STRATIFIED SAMPLING
• MORE EFFICIENT FOR
• DIVIDES THE POPULATION INTO SUBGROUPS
• ALLOWS PRECISE ESTIMATION OF SAMPLE'S
HAND-DRAWN SAMPLES.
(STRATA).
DEVIATION FROM THE TRUE POPULATION
• REDUCES SAMPLING ERROR BY DRAWING
RANDOM SAMPLES FROM EACH STRATUM

SIMPLE RANDOM • PROPORTIONATE STRATIFIED

AREA SAMPLING SAMPLING MAINTAINS
SAMPLING (SRS): (CLUSTER SAMPLING) PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION
• ENSURES EQUAL CHANCES FOR EACH
ELEMENT'S INCLUSION • INVOLVES MULTIPLE STAGES, STARTING WITH
LARGER CLUSTERS AND MOVING DOWN TO
• IMPRACTICAL FOR LARGE-SCALE INDIVIDUAL UNITS.
PROJECTS DUE TO COST
• SUITABLE FOR LARGE OR GEOGRAPHICALLY
SPREAD POPULATIONS
 ESTIMATING SAMPLE
SIZE: KEY FACTORS
1. RESEARCH 2. PRECISION:
HYPOTHESES • PRECISION, OR SAMPLING ERROR, RELATES
• ADEQUATE CASES NEEDED FOR TO THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SAMPLE AND
TESTING HYPOTHESES POPULATION VALUES

5. SAMPLING TECHNIQUE

• DIFFERENT SAMPLING TECHNIQUES IMPACT

SAMPLE SIZE
3. POPULATION 4. SAMPLING FRACTION
HOMOGENEITY • AREA SAMPLING INCREASES
SAMPLING ERROR, WHILE
STRATIFIED SAMPLING REDUCES
• VARIABILITY IN THE SAMPLED
IT.
POPULATION INFLUENCES • ADJUSTMENTS NEEDED FOR SMALLER
SAMPLE SIZE. POPULATIONS
 • THESE NONPROBABILITY SAMPLES PROVE
Non-Probability VALUABLE WHEN THE PRIMARY RESEARCH
GOAL INVOLVES EXAMINING
Samples RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN INDEPENDENT
AND DEPENDENT VARIABLES WITHOUT
THE INTENTION OF GENERALIZING
FINDINGS BEYOND THE SAMPLE

• WHEN NONPROBABILITY SAMPLES ARE

When Probability is VALUABLE, ESPECIALLY IN QUALITATIVE
RESEARCH AND WITH "HIDDEN
Not Requisite POPULATIONS." ACKNOWLEDGES
LIMITATIONS, INCLUDING LACK OF
REPRESENTATIVENESS AND UNKNOWN
SAMPLING ERROR.
 NON-PROBABILITY SAMPLING
METHODS: VARIED APPROACHES
AVAILABILITY SAMPLING, ALSO KNOWN AS CONVENIENCE SAMPLING OR ACCIDENTAL SAMPLING, IS A METHOD
WHERE RESEARCHERS CHOOSE ELEMENTS THAT ARE READILY ACCESSIBLE
SNOWBALL SAMPLING INVOLVES STARTING WITH A FEW KNOWN CASES RELATED TO THE RESEARCH AND THEN
LETTING THOSE CASES LEAD TO THE IDENTIFICATION OF MORE CASES, CREATING A GROWING SAMPLE.

QUOTA SAMPLING INVOLVES DIVIDING A POPULATION INTO CATEGORIES AND SETTING QUOTAS FOR THE NUMBER OF
ELEMENTS TO SELECT FROM EACH CATEGORY. IT RESEMBLES STRATIFIED SAMPLING BUT RELIES ON NONPROBABILITY
METHODS, OFTEN DETERMINED BY AVAILABILITY
PURPOSIVE SAMPLING, ALSO KNOWN AS JUDGMENTAL SAMPLING, DEVIATES FROM THE GOAL OF GENERALIZABILITY IN
SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH BY DELIBERATELY EXCLUDING CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS TO FOCUS ON SPECIFIC CASES OF INTERES.

TARGETED SAMPLING COMBINES FEATURES OF BOTH QUOTA AND PURPOSIVE SAMPLING. IT INVOLVES DELIBERATELY
FOCUSING ON SPECIFIC GROUPS OR INDIVIDUALS WITH PREDEFINED CHARACTERISTICS, ENSURING THEY HAVE AN
INCREASED LIKELIHOOD OF BEING INCLUDED IN THE SAMPLE

DIMENSIONAL SAMPLING IS A TECHNIQUE FOR SELECTING SMALL SAMPLES IN A WAY THAT ENHANCES
REPRESENTATIVENESS.

NONPROBABILITY SAMPLES, DESPITE LIMITATIONS, CAN BE VALUABLE IN HUMAN SERVICE RESEARCH.

THEY ARE FASTER AND LESS EXPENSIVE, MAKING THEM SUITABLE FOR EXPLORATORY STUDIES
 WHEN CONDUCTING RESEARCH ON DIVERSE POPULATIONS,
ENSURING REPRESENTATIVENESS BECOMES CHALLENGING DUE
Sampling with TO THE "RARE EVENT" STATUS OF SOME MINORITIES, MAKING
THEM A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF THE POPULATION. THIS LEADS
Diverse Populations TO SMALL SAMPLE SIZES, HIGH ERROR RATES, AND
CHALLENGES IN ASSESSING DIFFERENCES WITHIN MINORITY
GROUPS

Title: Challenges and CHALLENGES IN ENSURING REPRESENTATIVENESS WITH DIVERSE

Solutions POPULATIONS, INCLUDING SMALL SAMPLE SIZES AND
RESIDENTIAL SEGREGATION. SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS INCLUDE
DISPROPORTIONATE SAMPLING AND A COMBINATION OF
TECHNIQUES.
Human Service IN HUMAN SERVICE PRACTICE, PRACTITIONERS OFTEN DEAL
WITH NONPROBABILITY SAMPLES, USING THEIR PAST
Practice EXPERIENCES TO ADDRESS CURRENT CLIENT PROBLEMS

Title: Dealing with PRACTITIONERS OFTEN USE NONPROBABILITY SAMPLES IN

HUMAN SERVICE PRACTICE. CAUTION IS NEEDED IN
Nonprobability GENERALIZATIONS, AND VARIOUS SAMPLING TECHNIQUES CAN
BE EMPLOYED TO ADDRESS LIMITATIONS IN
Samples REPRESENTATIVENESS.
 CONCLUSION
BALANCING ACT:
PROBABILITY AND NON-
PROBABILITY
EMPHASIZES THE VALUE OF BOTH PROBABILITY AND
NONPROBABILITY SAMPLES IN RESEARCH. RECOMMENDS
RETESTING FINDINGS FROM NONPROBABILITY SAMPLES
USING PROBABILITY SAMPLES FOR GREATER
RELIABILITY.
Thank you
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