Sampling Methods

What is random sampling?

Everyone has an equal chance of being selected

What is an advantage of random sampling?

Unbiased

What is a disadvantage of random sampling?

Unrepresentative if the sample size is small

What is opportunity sampling?

Selecting participants based on availability

What is an advantage of opportunity sampling?

Quick and easy

What is a disadvantage of opportunity sampling?

Biased

What is quota sampling?

Establishing quotas for subgroups and selecting participants to fill them out

What is an advantage of quota sampling?

Representative

What is a disadvantage of quota sampling?

Biased

What is volunteer sampling?

Where participants choose to join

What is an advantage of volunteer sampling?

Ethical

What is a disadvantage of volunteer sampling?

Some social groups may not volunteer

What is systematic sampling?

Selecting every nth person from a list

What is an advantage of systematic sampling?

Unbiased

What is a disadvantage of systematic sampling?

Less representative if some refuse to take part

What is snowball sampling?

Getting the interviewee to suggest another to interview

What is an advantage of snowball sampling?

Helps access unobtainable groups

What is a disadvantage of snowball sampling?

Not good for large sample sizes

What is stratified sampling?

Sampling frame divided into social groups, and then random sampling is used for each group

What is an advantage of stratified sampling?

Representative

What is a disadvantage of stratified sampling?

Time consuming to identify subgroups