In such cases, snowball sampling is the best sampling method to choose. Types of nonprobability random sampling quota sampling. Pdf comparision of snowball sampling and sequential. Snowball sampling is a type of convenience sampling method that is usually applied when it is. As the sample builds up, enough data are gathered to be useful for. Snowball sampling is defined as a nonprobability sampling technique in which the samples have traits that are rare to find.
Insights from an overview of the methods literature abstract the methods literature regarding sampling in qualitative research is characterized by important inconsistencies and ambiguities, which can be problematic for students and researchers seeking a clear and coherent understanding. Snowball sampling is a type of convenience sampling method that is usually applied when it is difficult to acquire respondents with. Assessing limitations and uses of convenience samples. This shows an additional level of detail and highlights a certain amount of rigour in the sampling process. Research is a scientific process of investigation and experimentation that involves the systematic collection, analysis and interpretation of data to answer a certain question or solve problem. Snowball sampling is a type of convenience sampling method that is usually applied when it is difficult to acquire respondents with target characteristics naderifar et.
The formation of a sample group starts with one individual subject providing information about just one other subject and then the chain continues with only one referral from one subject. If the group in population that is chosen as a cluster sample has a biased opinion then the entire population is inferred to have the same opinion. As a result, the technique can result in biased samples. Snowball sampling also known as chainreferral sampling is a nonprobability nonrandom sampling method used when characteristics to be possessed by samples are rare and difficult to find. Accordingly, investigator himself purposively chooses certain items which to his judgment are best representatives of the universe. This pattern is continued until enough number of subjects are available for the sample. Snowball sampling social research update university of surrey. According to showkat and parveen 2017, the snowball sampling method is a nonprobability sampling technique, which is also known as referral sampling, and as stated by alvi 2016, it is. Snowball sampling may help you discover characteristics about a.
The way of sampling in which each item in the population has an equal chance this chance is greater than zero for getting selected is called probability sampling. This sampling technique offers practical advantages such as having the social networks of identified participants that can provide an ever. This article explains a what snowball sampling is, b how to create a snowball sample, and c the advantages and disadvantages limitations of. If the aim of a study is primarily explorative, qualitative and descriptive, then snowball sampling offers practical advantages hendricks, blanken and adriaans, 1992. Purposeful sampling is widely used in qualitative research for the identification and selection of informationrich cases related to the phenomenon of interest.
Snowball sampling is a popular technique among social scientists who wish to work with a population that is difficult to identify or locate. The purpose of sampling theory is to make sampling more efficient. It is a methodology where researcher recruits other individuals for the study. Each type of sampling can be useful for situations when researchers must either target a sample quickly or for when proportionality is the primary concern. This method of sampling is also known as subjective or judgment sampling method. This method is used only when the population is very hardtoreach. Nonprobability sampling focuses on sampling techniques that are based on the judgement of the researcher see our article nonprobability sampling to learn more about nonprobability sampling. Several years after colemans and goodmans development of snowball sampling, what was also termed snowball sampling emerged as a. Ask new cases to identify further cases and so on stop when. For example, it has been shown to be capable of producing. Snowball sampling has demonstrated as a second best method in conducting research in conflict environments like, in the context of the israel and arab conflict. Establish a contact with one or two initial cases from the sampling frame. Application of snowball sampling involves the following stages. What are the merits and demerits of purposive sampling method.
Comparision of snowball sampling and sequential sampling. This often occurs when the population is somehow marginalized, like homeless or formerly incarcerated individuals or those who are involved in illegal activities. Using social media and targeted snowball sampling to. The article provides the description and comparison of two nonrandom samplings which are snowball or chain referral sampling and sequential sampling. Pros and cons of different sampling techniques international.
This sampling technique needs little planning and fewer workforce compared to other sampling techniques 1. Auditing assignment help, advantage and disadvantage of judgmental sampling, advantage and disadvantage of judgmental sampling the advantages of judgment sampling the approach is understood as well and has been refined through experience over many years. These actors may themselves open possibilities for an expanding web of contact. Disadvantages of sampling may be discussed under the heads. It allows for studies to take place where otherwise it might be impossible to conduct because of a lack of participants.
Advantages a it is a good representative of the population. Snowball sampling has been widely used in qualitative sociological research, especially in the. There are also ethical issues, respondents may be hesitant to provide names, due. Stratified sampling selfselection sampling cluster sampling snowball sampling probability sampling 1. Apr 02, 2019 each type of sampling can be useful for situations when researchers must either target a sample quickly or for when proportionality is the primary concern. Convenience sampling is the most easiest way to do that.
Quota sampling, accidental sampling, judgemental sampling or purposive sampling, expert sampling, snowball sampling, modal instant sampling. The subjects that the researcher can obtain rely mainly on the. The chain referral process allows the researcher to reach populations that are difficult to sample when using other sampling methods. A manual for selecting sampling techniques in research 4 preface the manual for sampling techniques used in social sciences is an effort to describe various types of sampling methodologies that are used in researches of social sciences in an easy. January 26, 2017 the triangle admin leave a comment.
The auditor is given an opportunity to bring his j. Cluster sampling definition, advantages and disadvantages. Snowball sampling isnt one of the common types of sampling methods but still valuable in certain cases. Media and targeted snowball sampling 282 ples and the asystematic recruitment of research subjects in convenience samples on the one hand and the more rigid cluster and stratified samples on the other. The snowball sampling method is extensively used where a population is unknown and rare and it is tough to choose subjects to assemble them as samples for research. Unlike convenience samples, research subjects are selected for specific attributes that preliminary research has defined as targets. Snowball sampling can be applied for two primary purposes. Simple random sampling in this technique, each member of the population has an equal chance of being selected as subject. The sampling method used for the survey was snowball sampling. Firstly, and most easily, as an informal method to reach a target population.
Oversampling a particular network of peers can lead to bias. Snowball sampling or chainreferral sampling is defined as a a nonprobability sampling technique in which the samples have traits that are rare to find. A research on the habits, thoughts, views, and opinions of people can help us in the betterment of the society. While easier to implement than other methods, it can be costly and time consuming. The researcher has no idea of the true distribution of the population and of the sample.
Snowball sampling is where research participants recruit other participants for a test. Snowball sampling has been found to be economical, efficient and effective in various studies. Random sampling removes an unconscious bias while creating data that can be analyzed to benefit the general demographic or population group being studied. For example, if you are studying the level of customer satisfaction among. Snowball sampling is a technique where a researcher picks the first few samples and either recruits them or asks them to recommend other subjects they know who fit the description of samples needed. On the other hand probabilistic sampling methods like. Jan 26, 2017 it is important however that such an approach is clearly documented and for depth it maybe useful to highlight in your research the original referrer. Snowball sampling can present significant ethical problems, especially if the research topic is sensitive or personal. This method relies on referrals from initially sampled.
Snowball sampling is one of the most popular methods of sampling in qualitative research, central to which are the characteristics of networking and referral. Thus the sample group is said to grow like a rolling snowball. This sampling technique needs little planning and fewer workforce compared to other sampling techniques. Hence, being systematic it has certain methods and. Sampling from populations in which individuals are hard to identify can justify clever approaches, but the role of the simple random sampling model in. Check the advantages and disadvantages of convenience sampling. Probability sampling, advantages, disadvantages mathstopia. The advantages and disadvantages of random sampling show that it can be quite effective when it is performed correctly. The reliability of the sample depends upon the appropriateness of the sampling method used. What are the merits and demerits of purposive sampling method as used in statistics. Quota sampling is a nonprobability sampling technique in which researchers look for a specific characteristic in their respondents, and then take a tailored sample that is in proportion to a population of interest. For example, if you are studying the level of customer satisfaction among elite nirvana bali golf club in.
Advantage and disadvantage of judgmental sampling, auditing. Snowball sampling is a wellknown, nonprobability method of survey sample selection that is commonly used to locate hidden populations. A manual for selecting sampling techniques in research. Application of quota sampling ensures that sample group represents certain characteristics of the population chosen by the researcher. This referral technique goes on and on, increasing the size of the respondent population like a snowball rolling down a hill until the researcher. As described in leo goodmans 2011 comment, snowball sampling was developed by coleman 19581959 and goodman 1961 as a means for studying the structure of social networks. Learn the pros and cons of quota sampling in this article. Representativeness of the sample is not guaranteed. From the listed the researcher has to deliberately select items to be sample. Pdf snowball sampling is a wellknown, nonprobability method of. The subjects that the researcher can obtain rely mainly on the previous subjects that were observed. Researchers use the simple random sample methodology to choose a subset of individuals from a larger population.
Probability sampling uses lesser reliance over the human judgment. They are also usually the easiest designs to implement. Disadvantages of snowball sampling the researcher has little control 2 over the sampling method. The statistical procedures required to analyze the data and calculate errors are easier than those required in other probabilistic sampling procedures. Quota sampling method is a nonprobability sampling and it can be defined as a sampling method of gathering representative data from a group. Respondents may be hesitant to provide names of peers and. The biggest advantage of snowball sampling is that it helps researchers find more participants for studies than would be possible by other. Simple random sampling and systematic sampling simple random sampling and systematic sampling provide the foundation for almost all of the more complex sampling designs based on probability sampling. Mar 31, 2018 nonprobability sampling methods do not use probabilities to select subjects randomly rather are based on other factors like need of the study, availability of subjects and rarity of subjects. In sociology and statistics research, snowball sampling or chain sampling, chainreferral sampling, referral sampling is a nonprobability sampling technique where existing study subjects recruit future subjects from among their acquaintances.
But the real difficulties lie in selection, estimation and administration of samples. What are the merits and demerits of purposive sampling. If you oversample from one particular network this may bias some of your data. The entire process of sampling is done in a single step with each subject selected independently of the other members of the. Disadvantages a it is a difficult and complex method of samplings. Snowball sampling may help you discover characteristics about a population that you werent aware existed. This is a major disadvantage as far as cluster sampling is concerned. Stratified random sampling provides the benefit of a more accurate sampling of a population, but can be disadvantageous when researchers cant classify every member of the population into a subgroup. Dec 04, 2018 the snowball sampling method is extensively used where a population is unknown and rare and it is tough to choose subjects to assemble them as samples for research. Although there are several different purposeful sampling strategies, criterion sampling appears. However, you should be fully aware of the pros and cons of convenience sampling before you conduct research. In the ceo study, for example, if the first participant recruited happens to work in manufacturing, most of her ceo contacts are likely to also come from the manufacturing sector. Snowball sampling problems and techniques of chain referral sampling patrick blernackl sun francisco state university dan waldorf pacific institute for research and evaluation nowball or chain referral sampling is a method that has s been widely used in qualitative sociological research.
The researchers usually start with a small number of initial contacts seeds who fit the research criteria and are invited to become participants within the research. In some cases, sampling of members of a special population segment are require, but prove difficult to locate. In general, it is easier than other probabilistic sampling procedures such as conglomerate sampling to understand and communicate to others. The cluster sampling method comes with a number of advantages over simple random sampling and stratified sampling.
Sociology at surrey university of surrey research socialupdate. The researcher has little control over the sampling method. Snowball sampling allows the investigators to approach the marginalized population at cognitive and emotional level and enroll them in study. Purposeful sampling for qualitative data collection and. There are several wellknown disadvantages of snowball sampling. Nonprobability sampling methods do not use probabilities to select subjects randomly rather are based on other factors like need of the study, availability of subjects and rarity of subjects. Munich personal repec archive a manual for selecting sampling techniques in research alvi, mohsin university of karachi, iqra university 23 march 2016 online at mpra paper no. One problem with snowball sampling is that participants social networks arent random. For example, studies on mexican or other nationality migrants in a particular city in america can be done through snowball sampling. Since cluster sampling selects only certain groups from the entire population, the method requires fewer resources for the sampling process.