3. Sampling in Qualitative Research.docx

CRITICAL READING: CORNELL NOTES Sampling in Qualitative Research Name: Date: 5 August 2023 Section: Lecture 3 Period: Questions/Main Ideas/Vocabulary Notes/Answers/Definitions/Examples/Sentences Sampling The process whereby the researcher selects people within a population to be parti...

CRITICAL READING: CORNELL NOTES Sampling in Qualitative Research Name: Date: 5 August 2023 Section: Lecture 3 Period: Questions/Main Ideas/Vocabulary Notes/Answers/Definitions/Examples/Sentences Sampling The process whereby the researcher selects people within a population to be participants in a study. Sampling is a vital component of the validity of a research project and involves careful consideration and decision-making to ensure that the findings are credible. Sampling for qualitative research is quite a different process than for quantitative research, as the aim is to gain a richness of context-specific data, and diversity of experience within that context, rather than to generalise the findings. Considerations Include The aims of the study. The target population. From where participants will/can be recruited. The range, characteristics and estimated number of participants required. How data will/can be collected. The project budget. Sample Size There are no rules for sample size in qualitative inquiry. Sample size depends on what you want to know, the purpose of the inquiry, what’s at stake, what will be useful, what will have credibility, and what can be done with available time and resources. Sample Size (N) Depends Upon The heterogeneity of the population (if the population is very diverse, more participants may be needed in the sample). The number of selection criteria (i.e. the participant characteristics that are of interest). The extent to which one criterion is dependent upon another. Groups of special interest that require special study. Multiple samples within one study. Type of data collection methods. The budget and available resources. Whether groups are being compared. Sample Sizes in Qualitative Research Sample sizes are typically much smaller in qualitative than quantitative research, because qualitative research is interested in understanding phenomena in depth. It is not necessary to justify small sample sizes in comparison to the larger cohorts used in quantitative studies. However, it is essential that the reasons behind why a particular sample size was chosen be discussed in the methods section of the research paper. Data Saturation When deciding how many participants to include in a sample, researchers can determine the size and scope in advance, or sample to the point of redundancy – that is, until they reach data saturation. This refers to the point in time at which no new information is forthcoming from additional participants or settings. However, it is worth noting that data saturation (as a method for determining the endpoint of data collection) has increasingly been subject to critical discussion, on the grounds that it is subjective and often difficult to achieve.