Sampling in qualitative research
Probability sampling is rarely used in qualitative research because:
Qualitative researchers are not trained in statistics
It is very old-fashioned
It is often not feasible
Research questions are more important than sampling
It is often not feasible
Quantitative research is concerned with quantities and frequencies of occurrence in the general population, so the study sample must be representative. In qualitative research it can often “be impossible to map the population from which a random sample might be taken” (p416), making probability sampling infeasible. Qualitative researchers may well be familiar with statistical techniques but that is hardly the point. It is true that certain types of qualitative research emphasize the importance of developing research questions during research, adding to the sample from time to time. Sampling remains important for all types of research, however.
Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 408
Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 408
It is often not feasible Quantitative research is concerned with quantities and frequencies of occurrence in the general population, so the study sample must be representative. In qualitative research it can often “be impossible to map the population from which a random sample might be taken” (p416), making probability sampling infeasible. Qualitative researchers may well be familiar with statistical techniques but that is hardly the point. It is true that certain types of qualitative research emphasize the importance of developing research questions during research, adding to the sample from time to time. Sampling remains important for all types of research, however.
Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 408
Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 408
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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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