- Convenience sampling: it’s a non-probability technique where the subjects are chosen because of their proximity or convenient accessibility to the researcher. A good example when the researcher is short for time or resources. He would conveniently choose subjects easily accessible to save on transport cost (Levy & Stanley 25).
- Cluster sampling: it is a technique where the whole population is divided into clusters and a random sample from these clusters is selected. This technique would be appropriate when the random sample is scattered so widely that surveying the subjects would be very expensive (Levy & Stanley 21).
- Systematic sampling: it is a probability sampling technique where the subjects are selected from a random starting point and subsequently using a fixed periodic interval. This method is appropriate when a large population sample is required from an even larger population. This is because it is efficient and time saving (Levy & Stanley 19).
- Simple random sampling: this is a very basic method of sampling where the subjects are chosen wholly by chance, with every member of the population having an equal chance of being selected. This technique is very appropriate when the researcher has very little knowledge on the characteristics of the population to be studied (Levy & Stanley 8).
- Stratified sampling: it is a probability sampling technique where the entire target population is divided into various subgroups and the subjects are randomly selected from the different strata proportionally. This technique is very appropriate when the researcher in the study intends to highlight certain subgroups in the target population (Levy & Stanley 27).
- Random sampling: it is a method of sampling where the subjects are selected from a larger population. The subjects are selected by chance but unlike the simple random sampling technique, the subjects have a known but potentially non-equal chance for selection (Levy & Stanley 15).
Works cited
Levy, Paul S, and Stanley Lemeshow. Sampling of Populations: Methods and Applications. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley, 2013. Print
