Unit 11: Ok, but who did you ask?

44 Basic Components of Sampling

I love the sampling unit. I do! I can’t help myself, don’t hate me. But examining that which relates to sampling is CRUCIAL for determining SYBI. And more often than not the researchers (in the limitations section) are like ‘yo. this only applies to these peeps.’ But somehow that gets omitted in the journalistic reboot. Also…

In subsequent chapters we are going to talk about random (probability) and non-random (non-probability) sampling strategies. I’m telling you right now that it would be best if you just divorce everything you currently know about the word “random” and what it mean

Right.

Now.

rightnow.

I am 100% serious.

Learning Objectives

  1. What are the components of Sampling?
  2. Learn the terms sample, target population, and sample frame?

What is a sample?

A sample is a group of people who represent a target population. They will be your actual unit of a study.

Remember: Sampling is done to represent an entire population

We using sampling because we can’t ask every single person on Earth a question!

Determining who should be in your sample population is very important. To understand how people select their sample we need to see an example:

  1. To determine who will be in our sample we must first decide on who our target population is.

ex. College students

   2. Now college students is too big of a group so we much narrow it to a sample frame.

ex. Iowa college students

   3. After the sample frame is selected, you then need to choose a sampling method or strategy. Covered in depth in the next unit.

TEXTBOOK CONTRIBUTION

EXAMPLE: 
RQ: How likely are Iowa football fans to buy season tickets next season?
Target population: Iowa football fans
Sampling frame: fans sitting in the home-side bleachers
Sampling population: fans sitting on the south side home bleachers (mix of
current students in the student section and non-student fans)

 

Got ideas for questions to include on the exam?

Click this link to add them! [this course element is paused because ya’ll aren’t submitting many questions…]

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Unit 11: Ok, but who did you ask?