Deck 5: Selecting a Sample

Question 1

Joe is the director of middle school science education for the state and is interested in differences between teaching science content in thematic units or by teaching the content in the units as presented in the students' text. He randomly selects classrooms in the state to participate. This best illustrates

A) simple random sampling.
B) systematic sampling.
C) stratified sampling.
D) cluster sampling.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

The group that the researcher would ideally like to generalize findings to is referred to as

A) a sample.
B) a population.
C) a target population.
D) an accessible population.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Ken is conducting a qualitative study for the university regarding the institutional variables that racial and ethnic minority doctoral students face in completing their degrees. He feels he needs to interview about 35 graduates. He interviews a small initial sample identified though formal complaints filed regarding the issue. He then asks each of those he interviews to identify any additional participants they can think of and then interviews those individuals until he has reached his sample size. Ken is best illustrating

A) random purposive sampling.
B) systematic sampling.
C) intensity sampling.
D) snowball sampling.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

The first step in probability sampling is to

A) identify the sampling technique to use.
B) identify the population.
C) determine the sample size.
D) select the sample.

Question 5

Some researchers have complained that most of the research that has been conducted with the benefits of animation for student learning has been done on college students enrolled in introductory courses at large research institutions. Assuming this is true what does this problem illustrate?

A) Cluster sampling
B) Quota sampling
C) Purposive sampling
D) Convenience sampling

Question 6

Jill examines the career interest of children of international diplomats. She selects the children of international diplomats from the United States who were in service between 1980 and 1990. The children had to be at least eight years old but less than 16 at the time of their parent's service and had to be stationed outside the United States with their diplomat parent for at least 24 continuous months. Jill is using which type of sampling?

A) Random purposive sampling
B) Homogeneous sampling
C) Intensity sampling
D) Snowball sampling

Question 7

Sophia needs to conduct a survey for the Alumni Association. She takes the list of all the alumni and calls every 10^th name on the list. Sophia is best illustrating

A) stratified random sampling.
B) cluster sampling.
C) systematic sampling.
D) simple random sampling.

Question 8

In simple random sampling, after the researcher has determined the desired sample size, the next step is to

A) identify the population.
B) define the population.
C) list all members of the population.
D) select an arbitrary number from the table of random numbers.

Question 9

Jacki is conducting a study that examines the effects of multi-vitamins on common cold symptoms. She hopes to generalize her findings to the school-age population of children in a specified region in her state. The population of children is 9,000. She is going to conduct a survey and decides to sample 7000 children. Regarding Jacki's sample we know that

A) it is substantially too small.
B) it is not representative.
C) it will result in large sampling bias.
D) it is substantially too big.

Question 10

Jane is conducting a study at a small liberal arts school on the East Coast that addresses the reasons why male college students are less likely to graduate within a four-year time frame than are female students. She would like her study to generalize to all of the college student population in the United States. Given Jane's study which of the following is the accessible population?

A) The participants in Jane's study
B) The students at small liberal arts schools on the East Coast
C) All college students in the United States
D) The students at the school from which the participants were sampled

Question 11

Sean knows a lot about racial tensions in public schools. He wants to conduct a quantitative study that examines the current state of affairs in public schools. He contacts two school districts that he identified, one has a history of problems and one does not. He randomly selects students from these schools to participate in his study. Sean used

A) convenience sampling.
B) purposive sampling.
C) quota sampling.
D) multistage sampling.

Question 12

The college Dean asked Meg to conduct a study to survey one half of the college students regarding their opinions of change in course offerings. Which nonrandom sampling approach is Meg likely to use?

A) Convenience sampling
B) Quota sampling
C) Purposive sampling
D) Systematic sampling

Question 13

Francisco is studying young children's color preferences by age. He is interested in comparing three, four, and five-year old children's color preferences. He is reluctant to use simple random sampling because he wants to assure that he has comparable numbers of children at each age. Which quantitative sampling strategy is the approach for Francisco to use?

A) Cluster sampling
B) Convenience sampling
C) Stratified sampling
D) Systematic sampling

Question 14

Participants identified as those from whom to seek information is the definition of

A) a sample.
B) a population.
C) a target population.
D) an accessible population.

Question 15

Ken randomly selected 75 students to participate in his study and then randomly assigned them to one of three conditions. When he examined his groups he found he had very unequal gender by condition. Ken's samples illustrate

A) sampling bias.
B) sampling error.
C) nonrandom sampling.
D) purposive sampling.

Question 16

If all participants in a given sample have an equal and independent chance of being selected for a study it is said that the sample has been selected

A) randomly.
B) systematically.
C) biasedly.
D) conveniently.

Question 17

Which of the following is a type of random sampling?

A) Intensity
B) Criterion
C) Systematic
D) Snowball

Question 18

Bonnie is conducting a study on the social skills of those children who have identified speech and language needs. She selects children who have Individual Education Plans for speech and language only and not any other educational exceptionalities. Bonnie is illustrating

A) homogeneous sampling.
B) intensity sampling.
C) criterion sampling.
D) snowball sampling.

Question 19

A large marketing firm has decided to do a study that describes the needs of practicing teachers regarding instructional materials. The vice-president wants data from 400 practicing teachers. Shawna, a researcher with the firm, sends a mass mailing and when 400 surveys are returned she analyzes the data. Shawna is best illustrating which sampling strategy?

A) Cluster sampling
B) Quota sampling
C) Purposive sampling
D) Convenience sampling

Question 20

Derrick is conducting a stratified sampling procedure. His target sample is 250 from a population of 489 high school algebra students within a particular district. He wants to ensure he has the appropriate representation of students from at each ability level. Next he will

A) identify and define the population.
B) determine desired sample size.
C) classify all members of the population as members of the subgroups.
D) randomly select an appropriate number of individuals to represent the subgroups.

Question 21

When employing random purposive sampling, the initial sample is selected

A) randomly.
B) by criterion.
C) purposively.
D) systematically.

Question 22

Peggy is conducting a reading intervention study that involves many children in many classrooms in many schools. The intervention is delivered by the teacher to the entire classes. Peggy would like to use a random sampling approach. Which of the following is Peggy likely to consider?

A) Simple random sampling
B) Systematic sampling
C) Purposive random sampling
D) Multistage sampling

Question 23

Kim needs to select 80 students from a group of 400 using simple random sampling. After listing all potential participants what will Kim do next?

A) Identify and define the population
B) Determine the sample size
C) Assign all individuals a consecutive number
D) Go to the random number table and start to select

Question 24

Which of the following are two general indicators that determine adequacy of a qualitative sample size?

A) Representativeness and redundancy
B) Generalizability and representativeness
C) Redundancy and clarity
D) Responsiveness and generalizability

Question 25

All forms of random sampling include the following steps EXCEPT

A) listing all members of the population.
B) identifying the population.
C) determining sample size
D) selecting the sample.

Question 26

Abby is conducting research on the perceived role of Arts within medium-sized suburban communities. She wants to survey people with an affinity for some from of the Arts. She goes to a local theatre production of The Music Man to recruit participants. Abby is illustrating

A) convenience sampling.
B) quota sampling.
C) purposive sampling.
D) systematic sampling.

Question 27

One benefit of cluster sampling is that it

A) is effective for use in school research.
B) assures limited sampling error.
C) is more generalizable than simple random sampling.
D) assures all members of the population can be in a treatment condition.

Question 28

In homogeneous sampling, researchers

A) compare differences of two or more levels of the problem.
B) select a small group of participants who fit a narrow problem.
C) identify participants who meet a defined criterion and select a sample.
D) allow initial participants to identify additional study participants.

Question 29

Missy is a key informant in Allison's study on teenage girls' study habits. Of the following, which is likely the strategy by which Missy was selected?

A) Random sampling
B) Stratified sampling
C) Criterion sampling
D) Cluster sampling

Question 30

Marc is a qualitative researcher who needs to interview both expert and novice teachers for a study. He expects to interview about 50 teachers. Which sampling strategy will Marc likely use?

A) Simple random
B) Systematic
C) Criterion
D) Intensity

Question 31

Allie collected data from 22 medical education faculty at a large research university in the Midwest United States regarding their opinions of problem-based learning. Which of the following represents Allie's accessible population?

A) All medical education faculty
B) Medical education faculty in the Midwest United States
C) Medical education faculty in her sample
D) Medical education faculty at the University

Question 32

Sally is completing a narrative study on the rehabilitation of middle-aged women runners after stress fractures in their feet. She therefore selects only women in the 35-45 year age range who are just beginning rehabilitation at one particular clinic. Sally's sampling strategy can best be described as

A) simple random sampling.
B) cluster sampling.
C) homogeneous sampling.
D) random purposive sampling.

Question 33

Generally, qualitative researchers select a sample that is

A) selected purposely.
B) as large as possible.
C) generalizable to a target population.
D) diverse demographically.

Question 34

Charleon is conducting a study to examine TechState employees' use of university computers for non-work related tasks. She would like to generalize her findings to all of the employees of the TechState University community. Given Charleon's study, which of the following is the target population?

A) Members of University communities in the United States
B) Staff members of TechState University
C) Employees including faculty and staff of TechState University
D) Employees of the Universities in her geographic region

Question 35

Matt is a qualitative researcher interested in the benefits of community gardens on respect for cultural diversity. To conduct his study he selects 8 members of a community gardening group who are Anglo Americans whose families have been in the country for at least three generations and who have been members of the gardening community for at least two years. The sampling strategy Matt is using is best described as

A) homogeneous.
B) criterion.
C) stratified.
D) intensity.

Question 36

Maude is conducting an ethnographic study that concerns the transitions that older Americans face as they move into transitional housing. She is particularly interested in the potential differences in the challenges for men and women. She therefore is careful to include both men and women in her sample. Maude's strategy can best be categorized as

A) systematic sampling.
B) intensity sampling.
C) homogeneous sampling.
D) cluster sampling.

Question 37

Maria needs to randomly select 90 participants from a pool of 5000. With how many digits in each entry of the random number table will Maria need to be concerned?

A) 1
B) 2
C) 3
D) 4

Question 38

Graham recruited student volunteers to participate in his dissertation study. He set up several times for students to come to a specified classroom and read various types of instructional materials and to be tested. He ran all of his control conditions first and then for each session he placed all students at the session in the same treatment condition. This is problematic because those who volunteered early are likely different than those who volunteered later. This problem is primarily due to

A) error rates.
B) sampling error.
C) researcher bias.
D) sampling bias.

Question 39

Sammy collected data from 18 pre-service secondary science majors at a small university in the Western United States regarding their opinions of Inquiry as an instructional approach. Which of the following is likely Sammy's target population?

A) All pre-service science teachers
B) Pre-service science teachers in the Western United States
C) Pre-service science teachers at the University
D) Pre-service science teachers in her sample

Question 40

The type of random sampling that targets groups, not individuals is

A) criteria.
B) cluster.
C) homogeneous.
D) simple random.

Question 41

Of the following, which is a common example of demographic information collected in a survey study?

A) opinion
B) gender
C) interest
D) ability

Question 42

A coach running numerous training camps over the summer is interested in whether it is better to distribute practices into 4 sessions instead of 2 sessions daily. You have several hundred possible participants distributed at training camps in multiple schools throughout multiple districts. Which of the following is the best possible sampling strategy to use if you are interested in generalizability?

A) Snowball Sampling
B) Multistage sampling
C) Intensity sampling
D) Quota sampling