Sampling

Random Sampling

• Strength: no researcher bias, fair

• Weakness: under/over representative sample

Stratified sampling

• Strength: subgroups in target population are represented

• Weakness: may be unrepresentative & time costly

Opportunity Sampling

• Strength: saves time, cost & resources

• Weakness: unrepresentative & not ethical

Snowball Sampling

• Strength: helpful to find others with rare characteristic

• Weakness: time costly, participants may not know others with characteristic

Systematic sampling

• Strength: no researcher bias

• Weakness: may be under representative of subgroups

Quota Sampling

• Strength: subgroups in target population represented

• Weakness: may be unrepresentative, time costly

Self selected sampling

• Strength: participants willingly take part

• Weakness: may not have enough participants who want to take part