Sampling

Sampling

The purpose of sampling is to draw conclusions about the population from samples. We obtain a sample rather than a complete enumeration (a census) of the population for many reasons. Obviously, it is cheaper to ask a part rather than the whole.

 There are many different methods of sampling. Some of them are as follows:
Simple random sampling- this type of sampling is when the sample size has an equal chance of being selected. This can be done by using a random number table, using a random number generator on a scientific calculator, using a computer to choose numbers or putting numbers in a hat then selecting however many you need for the sample. 
Stratified sampling- in this type of sampling, the population is divided into categories or strata e.g. by gender, age etc. From each sample, a random sample is taken. The size of each sample is in proportion to the relative size of the stratum from which it is taken. 
Convenience sampling also called Random Sampling- This is simply on that happens to come your way. For example, the size is 10, the sample may be the first 10 cars seen on the road.

The method I used was Convenience Sampling; I ask anyone and everyone who came my way.

Methodology

Below, I am going to write about different techniques that I used to collect the data and why I chose this particular method rather than other techniques.

 The main techniques that I decided to use are questionnaires and interviews. Questionnaires consist of a list of questions that require one word answers or simple statements to obtain information on the topic researched.

Reasons for the use of questionnaires

I decided to use questionnaires because they are quite simple and they don’t require a lot of your valuable time. It is also the most suitable technique for gathering qualitative data and in this coursework it is the information about music and magazines. Another reason why I chose to use questionnaires is that I would not have to go to people’s houses and fill in the questionnaires with them. I could just phone the person and ask them if they had a few minutes to spare so that they could answer my questions over the phone. This would save me a lot of precious time. In addition, I could just post the questionnaires to their address and tell them to post it back within a few days. According to my thoughts this method may be cheapest and efficient way of gathering data. In addition the answers will be relatively short which will make it easier for me to analyse.

Reasons against the use of questionnaires

However, along with the benefits there are some flaws as well which I need to look at as well and see whether they will cause a disruption. The problems of using a questionnaire are that I have to be really careful about what I ask and make sure that the questions are not offensive which could make the respondent enraged. I also have to make sure that the questions are not leading or ambiguous. In addition, I have to remember that when I ask a respondent to fill in a questionnaire, I need to be prepared for a refusal, as people might not have time to fill in the questions. I also realised that if I post the questions, the respondent might not understand the questions. This could cause problems when analysing the results. There was one major problem which I thought my cause me to lose time and valuable data, the problem is what if I drop or what if the respondent cannot be bothered to answer the questionnaire I posted to her/him.

After looking at both benefits and problems, I am still going to stick with my decision to use questionnaires.

In questionnaires, you have a closed or an open question. While making my questionnaire, I have to decide which questions should be open and which should be closed. ‘An open question is one that has no suggested answers and will give people a chance to reply as they wish’ (Edexcel GCSE Statistics, 2003). I think that the more the open questions I give the more relevant information I am likely to acquire. A Disadvantage to open questions is that it will consume a lot of time, as the respondent will need time to write their answers. In addition, analysing the results and handing them in is very difficult.

I think that if the questionnaire only consists of open questions, then it will be better if the respondent was surveyed face to face rather than over the phone as it will take time and the phone bill will go through the roof. Also, by surveying the respondent you may get extra information.

‘A closed question has a set of answers for the respondent to choose from’ (Edexcel GCSE Statistics, 2003). An advantage is that they are very easy to deal with and produce the results when doing data representation. Closed questions also keep data confidential. However, closed questions have a disadvantage, which is that it will limit the freedom of the response. Also, sometime choices given are not the right ones for particular respondents and they may just tick anything, which is lying. This can create problems for me when I am analysing my results and making conclusions.

I think that my questionnaire needs a mixture of open and closed questions. Just having open-ended questions will mean getting more relevant and accurate information. However, analysing open-ended questions is very difficult and time consuming. Also, the respondent might not have enough time to write long answers. Most respondents would prefer ticking boxes rather than writing answers. Having close-ended questions takes less time to analyse and it is quite easy as well. However, it will give me limited answers. Therefore, the advantages and disadvantages of having open and closed questions are balanced out. In my questionnaire I am going to do a mixture of both closed and open.