SCS 2150 Lecture Notes - Simple Random Sample, Stratified Sampling, Sampling Frame
Document Summary
Objectives: know the three factors in identifying a population for a research project, advantages of sampling, learn the three factors influencing the representativeness of a sample. Advantages of sampling: efficient, less expensive, restricted to a certain time frame, less data collection & entry, sampling can provide accurate estimates of the population parameters. *** note: we are ultimately interested in the population & the population parameters; the sample & the sample statistics are merely a means to these ends. Representativeness of the sample: three factors influencing the representativeness of a sample: (1) the accuracy of the sampling frame (2) the sample size (3) the method by which the sample is selected. All three factors are important - a weakness with respect to one cannot be compensated by strength with respect to another. Sample frame: this is simply a list of all the units in the target population.