Sampling methods

Q: What is a convenience sample?

Q: What is an advantage of convenience sampling?

Q: What is a limitation of convenience sampling?

A: A sample where participants are chosen based on who is readily available, such as asking students in a library to complete a survey.

A: It is the quickest and easiest way to obtain participants.

A: The sample may not be representative of the target population.

Q: What is a self-selected sample (volunteer sampling)?

Q: What is an advantage of self-selected sampling?

Q: What is a disadvantage of self-selected sampling?

A: A sample where participants volunteer to participate, often recruited through posters or online ads.

A: Participants are usually motivated and cooperative, and there are no ethical concerns since participation is voluntary.

A: Volunteers may be different from non-volunteers, making the sample unrepresentative of the target population.

Q: What is snowball sampling?

Q: What is an advantage of snowball sampling?

Q: What is a disadvantage of snowball sampling?

A: A sampling method where participants refer others they know, such as family or friends, to take part in the study.

A: It helps researchers reach hard-to-find populations, such as street gang members.

A: The sample may lack diversity since participants come from the same social circle, and anonymity is not strictly maintained.

Q: What is random sampling?

Q: What is an advantage of random sampling?

Q: What is a disadvantage of random sampling?

A: A sampling method where every person in the target population has an equal chance of being selected.

A: It results in a highly representative sample, allowing for generalization to the target population.

A: It is time-consuming, expensive, and may suffer from response bias if many people decline to participate.