37 Sampling

Sampling is the process of selecting observations that will be analyzed for research purposes. To put it another way, sampling has to do with selecting some subset of one’s group of interest and drawing conclusions from that subset.  Sampling is an integral part of any research project. The question is not if you will sample, but how you will sample. The answer to that question usually is dependent on the methods you use and what the objectives of the study are. Sampling can apply to people or objects and is most important when these people or objects (your units of analysis) are heterogeneous (different characteristics).  If people (or objects) are homogeneous or the same in terms of a specific characteristic of study, any sample will do since everyone you sampled would be the same on that characteristic.  However, when there is diversity or heterogeneity, sampling becomes highly relevant to the study since a researcher will want to ensure that his/her sample reflects that variability in the population. How we sample and who we sample shapes what sorts of conclusions we are able to draw.