Sampling in qualitative research
What can be generalized from a purposive sample?
That the findings are true for broadly similar cases
That the findings are true for the entire population
That the opposite is true for people who are the opposite of those in the sample
That purposive sampling is better than probability sampling
That the findings are true for broadly similar cases
The big problem for many researchers is that very little can be generalized from findings emerging from purposive samples. This approach to sampling is done, after all, because a probability sample may not be feasible or appropriate. So generalizability, or the lack of it, is bound into the definition of sampling type. Onwuegbuzie and Leech (2010, cited on page 418) point out, however, that it is possible to generalize from one case to another that is broadly similar. We are cautioned not to make claims for our data that cannot be supported by our research methods.
Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 416-418
Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 416-418
That the findings are true for broadly similar cases The big problem for many researchers is that very little can be generalized from findings emerging from purposive samples. This approach to sampling is done, after all, because a probability sample may not be feasible or appropriate. So generalizability, or the lack of it, is bound into the definition of sampling type. Onwuegbuzie and Leech (2010, cited on page 418) point out, however, that it is possible to generalize from one case to another that is broadly similar. We are cautioned not to make claims for our data that cannot be supported by our research methods.
Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 416-418
Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 416-418
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
Generic purposive sampling can be characterized as being:
A. Fixed and a priori
B. Fixed and ad-hoc
C. Contingent and post-hoc
D. Contingent and ad infinitum
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
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