Sampling in qualitative research
Generic purposive sampling can be characterized as being:
Fixed and a priori
Fixed and ad-hoc
Contingent and post-hoc
Contingent and ad infinitum
Fixed and a priori
The very nature of purposive sampling makes it relatively free from fixed constraints but we use the terms “fixed” and “contingent” to refer to sampling on a once-off basis or conducted sequentially. Similarly, “a priori’ and “contingent” refer to the terms we use for criteria for sample selection – being determined in advance, or changing as the research progresses. Bryman uses the label of ‘generic purposive sampling’ to refer to sampling done purposively but not (necessarily) in order to generate theory. This means that generic purposive sampling remains ‘purposive’ but will mostly be fixed rather than sequential and the criteria will be set ‘a priori’ (at the outset) rather than being contingent on data gathered.
Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 412-414
Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 412-414
Fixed and a priori The very nature of purposive sampling makes it relatively free from fixed constraints but we use the terms “fixed” and “contingent” to refer to sampling on a once-off basis or conducted sequentially. Similarly, “a priori’ and “contingent” refer to the terms we use for criteria for sample selection – being determined in advance, or changing as the research progresses. Bryman uses the label of ‘generic purposive sampling’ to refer to sampling done purposively but not (necessarily) in order to generate theory. This means that generic purposive sampling remains ‘purposive’ but will mostly be fixed rather than sequential and the criteria will be set ‘a priori’ (at the outset) rather than being contingent on data gathered.
Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 412-414
Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 412-414
Related posts
Apart from people, what else can purposive sampling be used for?A. Documents
B. Timing of events
C. Context
D. All of the above
The two levels of sampling used by Savage et al. (2005) for the Manchester study were:
A. Random and purposive
B. Convenience and snowball
C. Statistical and non-statistical
D. Contexts and participants
The minimum sample size for qualitative interviewing is:
A. 30
B. 31
C. 60
D. It’s hard to say
What is meant by the term “theoretical saturation”?
A. Deciding on a theory and then testing it repeatedly
B. The point at which a concept is so well developed that no further data collection is necessary
C. The problem of having used too many theories in one’s data analysis
D. A state of frustration caused by having used every possible statistical test without finding any significant results
Which of the following is not a type of purposive sampling?
A. Probability sampling
B. Deviant case sampling
C. Theoretical sampling
D. Snowball sampling
Why is an ethnographic study unlikely to use a probability sample?
A. Because the aim of understanding is more important than that of generalization
B. Because the researcher cannot control who is willing to talk to them
C. Because it is difficult to identify a sampling frame
D. All of the above
What can be generalized from a purposive sample?
A. That the findings are true for broadly similar cases
B. That the findings are true for the entire population
C. That the opposite is true for people who are the opposite of those in the sample
D. That purposive sampling is better than probability sampling
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