Questions and Answers on Methods of Social Research - Paper Example

If you are attempting to sample inmates in an Oregon correctional facility, what sampling frame could you use assuming that you are doing some sort of probability sampling? Remember that the frame is how we identify who is in our population? There is no right answer here, so be creative.

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The right frame would be cluster sampling as the facility has different types of prisoners who have commited different crime and serving different terms. Cluster sampling would help in selecting the sample in different stages of a given elements and then select individual elements from each cluster randomly (Bailey, 2008).

If you use probability sampling, what do you want the characteristics of the sample to look like? Hint: remember why we sample and what we want our sample to look like.

By using cluster probability sampling method, the sample would be small. Enough and mangeable. It is not possible to research on the whole population.

When you have finished your analysis of the sample data why can we make conclusions about the population? Hint: again, remember why we sample and what the goal of the sampling process is.

We can make coclusion about the population as the sample is representative and the findings can be generalized,

Part B, Sampling exercised: Given the hypothesis for each type of sampling answer the following questions.

1. Hypothesis: Adults who were convicted of crimes as a teenager are more often convicted of crimes in adulthood than those who were not convicted of crimes as teenagers.

What is the target population

The target population in this circumstance are all the convicts so as to identiy the number of those who have been convicted as teenagers and those that had not.

What is the unit of analysis (sampling element)

Inmate

Explain in detail how you would use simple random sampling (SRS) to sample from the target population

In this case of simple random sampling, all inmates with different elements will have an equal chance of selection. The data containing all the inmates would be required and each inmates will be selected independently. The final sample of those selected would reflect on the characteristics of the whole population (inmates).

Identify how large the sample must be for a population of 1,000,000 individuals.

The sampe size would be 664 rounded to the nearest hundred = 700, for a 99% confidence level and 5% margin of error.

What is the sampling fraction given your sample size?

700/1000000 = 7/10000

2. Hypothesis: Children in the U.S. whose parents are wealthy are more likely to go to college than those whose parents are poor (There are 350 million Americans).

What is the target population

All American families

What is the unit of analysis (sampling element)

College students

Explain in detail how you would use Systematic Sampling to sample from the target population.

For systematic sampling all elements in the sampling frame have an equal chance of selection (Bailey, 2008). In the above case all Americans would be put in a list. Then the researcher needs to identify the sample size needed which in this case can be 1000. Then divide the total populalation with the sample size.350000000/1000 = 350000. If the selected starting point is 50, then the person number 350050 on the list would be the next person followed by 70050 and so on until the 1000th person is found for the sample.

Identify how large the sample must be for a population of the United States.

The sample should be 664 rounded to the nearest hundred = 700

What is the sampling fraction given your sample size?

700/350000000 = 1/500000

3. Hypothesis: Blocks located in neighborhoods in cities of at least 100,000 residents in the U.S. will have less violent crime than neighborhoods in cities of at least 100,000 residents in Europe.

What is the target population

Neighborhoods in Europe and the U.S. cities

What is the unit of analysis (sampling element)

Number of violent crimes in these blocks

Explain in detail how you would use Multi-st

age Cluster Sampling to sample from the target population.

First is to get the sample, for instance let it be 120 residents, the group the sample in the following steps

Choose 3 states in Europe and 3 states in the U.S. using random sampling.

Shoose 4 city blocks in each state by utilizing a probability sampling method such as systemtic sampling method.

Choose 5 neighborhods from each city block using either simple random or systematic sampling method.

The result would be 120 neighborhood to be included in the sample group.

Identify how large the sample must be for a population of 700 cities with 45,000 total neighborhoods and an average of 100 blocks per neighborhood.

Total target group is 3150000000, for this population the sample would be 2401 blocks

What is the sampling fraction given your sample size?

2401/3150000000

Part B. Non-Probability Sampling:

4. Hypothesis: Homeless youth in Chicago are more likely to be runaways than a homeless youth in Bloomington/Normal.

What is the target population

Homeless youths in Chicago and Bloomington

What is the unit of analysis (sampling element)

Youths

Explain in detail how you would use a Snowball sample (network sample) to sample from the target population.

To get the sample group the researcher would need to start with one of the homelss youths and then the youth would provide the next referral. The referral youth will be recruited into the sample group and the provides another one new referral. This pattern will continue until the sample group is fully formed.

Part C. Measurement

Please indicate whether each variable is a nominal, ordinal, interval or ratio-level variable.

1. Weight (in pounds) of wrestlers. Ordinal

2. Numbers on the back of an athletes jersey. Nominal

3. Scores on ACT Test (range: 0 to 36). Ratio

4. The number of buildings on a college campus. Nominal

5. U.S News and Reports University Rankings. Ordinal

6. The time it takes you to shower in the morning. Interval

7. The types of trees on the park blocks. Norminal

8. The amount of calories in a glass of beer. Norminal

9. The number of PSU students who smoke marijuana at least once a week. Interval

10. The number of wins the UofO football team had this season. Ratio

References

Bailey, K. (2008). Methods of social research. Simon and Schuster.