Sampling techniques

Question 1

Opportunity sampling

Answer 1

samples people who are available at the time and fit the criteria

Question 2

Advantages/ weaknesses of opportunity sampling

Answer 2

• easy in terms of time and money
• the sample could be biased and unrepresentative of the target population

Question 3

Self-selected sampling

Answer 3

the participants volunteer to take part

Question 4

Advantages/ weaknesses of self-selected sampling

Answer 4

• easy in terms of time and money
• can reach a wide variety of participants
• participants may not be representative of target population

Question 5

Random sampling

Answer 5

every member of the population has an equal chance of being chosen

Question 6

Advantages/ weaknesses of random sampling

Answer 6

• the best technique for providing an unbiased representative sample of the target population
• it’s time consuming

Question 7

Stratified sampling

Answer 7

involves classifying the population into categories, and then choosing a sample which includes individuals from each category in the same proportion as they are in the population

Question 8

Advantages/ weaknesses of stratified sampling

Answer 8

• the sample is representative of the population
• it’s time consuming as the categories must be identified and calculated

Question 9

Snowball sampling

Answer 9

this is used if the population is not easy to contact

Question 10

Advantages/ weaknesses of snowball sampling

Answer 10

• easy in terms of time and money
• can be said to be bias as it may not be representative of the target population