Sampling and Collecting Quantitative and Qualitative Data

Sampling and Collecting Quantitative and Qualitative Data
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Sampling and Collecting Quantitative and Qualitative Data
Position: Probability sampling represents the best strategy for selecting research participants because it increases the likelihood of having samples that represents the whole population. Probability sampling stands out as the best strategy due to various reasons. They include: there is a possibility of making statistical inferences; it provides a representative sample of the whole population; minimizes sampling biasness; and samples can be selected using probabilistic methods (Hoepfl, 1997).
After studying a sample, the data is analyzed and statistical inferences are made. This always the aim, to make generalizations from the studied sample to the general populations. Therefore, probability sampling uses statistical techniques to make generalizations and allow the researchers to know their confidence.
However, since populations are not the same, there is a need to ensure that the selected sample is a representative of the population that is being studied. This sample should have the same variations that are expected to be observed in the whole population. If the sample is not a representative of the population, there will be biasness. Therefore, probability sampling is effective in helping researchers to minimize this sampling biasness.
The basic principle of probability sampling is to ensure that the selected sample for study is representative of the population of interest (Hoepfl, 1997). This principle helps researchers to minimize potential sampling biasness that will hinder statistical inferences. Sampling bias is minimized through the use of probabilistic techniques to select units from the population.
Interviews
There are different formats of interviews that can be used when collecting data. They include Structured, semi-structured and unstructured interviews. They are not mutually exclusive an...