sampling methods

• what is a sample?

  a group of people chosen to take part in sociological research.
• what is the total population?

  the group which you pick your sample from, the research tries to explain the behaviour of these.
• what are sampling methods?

  how to select participants from the total population.
• what is a sampling frame?

  the list of people from the total population, sociologists use this to pick from a sample.
• How does a sociologist carry out random sampling?

  They have a list of names and every name is given a number and the sample is selected using a list of random numbers for example picked from a hat.
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of random sampling?

  Advantages: quick, easy to access, done by computer, objective.

  disadvantages: not representative as may miss out a group.
• How is stratified sampling carried out?

  The researcher breaks down the population in the sampling frame by subgroups such as age, class, gender etc. the sample is then chosen out of the groups using another sampling method.
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of stratified sampling?

  Advantages: representative, valid

  Disadvantage: classifying groups may be hard to do, time consuming, may not get all groups.
• How is quasi-random/systematic sampling Carried out?

  Every nth person in the sampling frame is selected, for example young and wilmott used every 36th name when looking into the symmetrical family.
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of quasi-random/systematic sampling?

  Advantages: free from bias, objective, quick and easy

  disadvantages: not representative, no equal chance of being selected, may not participate or respond.
• What is volunteer sampling?

  People are drawn by responding to adverts, however those who volunteer may have a particular reason for volunteering so may have strong opinions to express.
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of volunteer sampling?

  Adv: volunteers come to you

  dis: may not be representative of the target population - e.g. if the advert is in a newspaper, only old people may see it so it is not representative, people may only volunteer if incentives are involved.
• What is snowball sampling?

  Researcher finds one person to fit the sample who then finds another and so on, useful when people don’t want to be identified such as criminals.
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of snowball sampling?

  Adv: multiple connections

  dis: unrepresentative, need time to build trust, relies on personal connections, may all share same viewpoint.
• How is quota sampling carried out?

  The population is stratified, each interviewer is given a sample of for example 20 females, 20 males which they have to fill with respondents who fit the characteristics
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of quota samplin?

  Adv: can target ideal population, reflects aspects of a population.

  dis: may not be able to fit one group, someone may not fit into a category, not representative, unreliable