Sampling in qualitative research
The minimum sample size for qualitative interviewing is:
30
31
60
It’s hard to say
It’s hard to say
Trying to figure out the ‘right’ number of people to interview is almost impossible in theoretical sampling – who can say in advance when the point of theoretical saturation will be reached? On the other hand, if the objective of the research is to make comparisons, then a minimum number should be established. Warren (2002, cited on page 416) says that publishers (and we add: dissertation assessors!) are unlikely to be impressed with a number less than twenty. Bryman (p418) recommends concentrating on your reasons for using a particular sampling strategy and then explaining why you feel a particular sample size is justified. The very nature of qualitative research obliges us to give answer (d) as correct, even though it may not be very helpful!
Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 416-418
Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 416-418
It’s hard to say Trying to figure out the ‘right’ number of people to interview is almost impossible in theoretical sampling – who can say in advance when the point of theoretical saturation will be reached? On the other hand, if the objective of the research is to make comparisons, then a minimum number should be established. Warren (2002, cited on page 416) says that publishers (and we add: dissertation assessors!) are unlikely to be impressed with a number less than twenty. Bryman (p418) recommends concentrating on your reasons for using a particular sampling strategy and then explaining why you feel a particular sample size is justified. The very nature of qualitative research obliges us to give answer (d) as correct, even though it may not be very helpful!
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
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
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
Leave a Reply