big 3 categories
exploratory
descriptive
explanatory
Investigate new topics or gain deeper understanding. Paves way for larger studies.
WHAT?
exploratory
Describe a phenomenon or detail people’s experiences.
HOW?
descriptive
Explain reasons behind an established relationship or phenomenon (cause-and-effect).
WHY?
explanatory
Snapshot of data at one point in time.
Example: Prevalence of pressure ulcers among bedridden patients.
cross-sectional
Observes same subjects over time
Example: Progression of wound healing among diabetic foot patients.
longitudinal
the entire group of interest
population
the subset of the population
sample
the process of selecting participants
sampling
Random selection; equal chance.
probability sampling
Non-random; may not be representative.
non-probability sampling
It is a sampling procedure that relies on complete randomization without any specific boundaries
Every member has an equal chance of participating
It ensures representation of the population
simple random sampling
Is conducted in one step using techniques such as random number generation, picking numbers/participants from a fish bowl, or other simple techniques
It requires a complete list of the population from which the sample is drawn.
simple random sampling
Is a technique that becomes valuable when the study is focused on understanding, comparing, or analyzing different groups of a population.
stratified random sampling
This requires equal numbers of participants from each group (ex. Men and women, different ethnicities, marital status, and so on)
stratified random sampling
stratified sampling formula
total sample size / entire population x population of subgroups
types of stratified:
type of sampling that follows the proportions of the population, but also creates specific strata that serve the focus of the study.
proportionate stratified
types of stratified:
type of sampling in which the proportions are not equivalent in entire population, but specific strata are created.
disproportionate stratified
Participants are chosen even if they are not representative of a population.
Also known as accidental sampling.
convenience sampling
It proves particularly cost and time effective in case of pilot studies.
convenience sampling
participants are selected by word of mouth.
researcher connect with one participant and that participant finds another willing participant. The 2nd participant finds the 3rd participant, and so on.
snowball sampling
Participants may not be representative of the entire population because the researcher selects only participants who know one another and are related in some way.
They may share characteristics, such as social class, income, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or religion.
snowball sampling
often called judgmental sampling
allows a researcher to handpick participants according to the characteristics under study.
purposive sampling
purposive sampling technique:
participants are chosen based on a trait or characteristic of interest to the researcher.
homogenous sampling
