Associations between Quantitative and Qualitative Job Insecurity and Well-being

This research paper discusses the associations between quantitative and qualitative job insecurity and well-being. It covers the sample size, sampling method, measures of variables, collection of data and social demographics, and research design.

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Statistics and Research
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Statistics and research
Q1. The sample size
The sample size which was selected (15000 employees – about 21%) was necessary and
appropriate to undertake the required research. According to me, this sample size was necessary
and appropriate since it reached and surpassed the minimum percentage of 10%, which is always
recommended to conduct research successfully (Boddy, 2016, pp.426-432). The higher the
percentage of the selected sample size, the more accurate are the results obtained, and so, by
selecting a sample size of 21%, more accurate and more reasonable results were realized. The
results obtained from this research can be used to represent the entire population of employees
satisfactorily as the sampling of the employees met the set (required) standards which give
satisfactory results.
Q2. Sampling method
The current method of sampling is random sampling method since the participants were
selected randomly without considering their age, gender, or employment levels. This random
selection gave all the employees working in the banks equal chances of being selected for the
research. There are some advantages and some disadvantages associated with the random
sampling method. This section will consider some of the main advantages and disadvantages of
this random sampling method.
Some of the main advantages of the random sampling method are:

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It eliminates bias in the results since the participants are always selected randomly without any
favor or discrimination (Wang, Gao, and Li, 2018, pp.215-227). All the participants are always
given equal chances of being selected, which means the results won’t be biased and will
represent the entire population fairly and satisfactorily.
It’s simple, and researchers don’t need to have a lot of researching knowledge and skills to use it
satisfactorily. The simplicity of the random sampling method makes it highly favorable to new
researchers or researchers with little research experience. This method is very simple and direct,
and the new or little experienced researchers can use it appropriately to get the desired results
without many difficulties.
It’s easy to form the sample groups to be used in the data collection process since the sample
groups are not formed following some complex guidelines or procedures. The sample groups are
just selected randomly from the entire population to be considered in the research.
It’s relatively easy to use this method compared to some other highly complex methods such as
stratified sampling which require the researchers to be extra careful when doing their research to
get the desired results.
Some of the main disadvantages of random sampling method are:
It’s time-consuming as the researchers have to select individual samples from the population
under concern, and after selecting the individual samples, the researchers must deal with each of
the samples individually to get the required research data. It’s always recommended that when
using the random sampling method of data collection in research, at least 10% of the population
should be selected as samples which means if the population is big (many thousands), the data

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collection process will take a lot of time to get the required sample size and collect the required
data from each of the members or elements of the selected sample size.
It’s costly, especially when dealing with large populations. As stated above, the researchers have
to select at least 10% of the population to be studied as to their sample size, and then deal with
each element of the sample size individually to be successful in their research. If the population
to be studied are large, the required sample size is always very large which means dealing with
each of the members or elements of the sample size to get the required data will be very costly.
For instance, if the questionnaire method is to be used to collect the required data from a large
population, a large sample size (recommended to be at least 10% of the population) will be
selected and the researchers will have to prepare many questionnaire forms to reach each and
every member of the selected large sample size which will cost the researchers a lot of money.
It does not give 100% accurate results but just reasonable and acceptable estimations.
Like the other sampling methods, random sampling method does not give 100% accurate results
but just gives reasonable and acceptable results which can be used to represent and understand
the entire population being studied. It’s good to remember that the accuracy of the obtained
results depends on the selected sample size where the higher the sample size selected, the more
the accurate the results obtained. Therefore, if more accurate results are required, the researchers
should always use the highest possible sample size but must also always consider the factors of
the required time and cost of the research when selecting the sample size.
The advantages and disadvantages discussed above are some of the main features which
define the random sampling method. It’s good to mention that the random sampling method is
one of the most commonly used sampling methods and when used appropriately, this method

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gives highly reasonable and acceptable results which can represent the entire population well and
productively.
Q3. Measures of variables
The measures of variables used in the research are highly reliable and valid and give
acceptable results. Firstly, considering the variable of quantitative job insecurity, the variable
was measured using four items on a rating scale with four ratings numbered from 1 (strongly
disagree) to 4 (strongly agree). Some sample items which were used to measure this variable of
quantitative job insecurity were ‘I feel insecure about the future of my job’ and ‘I am sure that I
will be able to keep my job.’ The rating scale which was applied to measure the variable of
quantitative job insecurity was valid, reliable, and highly appropriate as it gave the participants a
chance to express their feelings about their job insecurity satisfactorily. It covered the feelings of
all the participants about their job insecurity as required expressing the satisfaction or
dissatisfaction appropriately.
To the measure of qualitative job insecurity, the main items which were used to measure
this variable were job content (which was measured in terms of skill utilization, autonomy, and
specific tasks), the working conditions (which were measured in terms of the quality of working
conditions and the workload), the employment conditions (measured in terms of the wages, the
working hours, and the opportunities for promotion), and the social relations at workplace
(measured in terms of the relations with the other colleagues and supervisors). To measure these
items or features of qualitative job insecurity accordingly, the participants were supposed to
indicate whether they would improve or deteriorate in the near future. A rating scale with five
ratings numbered from 1 (strongly deteriorate) to 5 (strongly improve) was used to measure the

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discussed items or features of job insecurity which helped the researchers to understand the
overall feelings of the participants (employees) about qualitative job insecurity. This measure of
qualitative job insecurity was valid and reliable as it explored most of the main features which
affect the job quality and the employment life of the employees in the workplaces. It helped the
researchers to understand some of the main experiences of the employees when in the workplace
and their feelings about their job security, which were among the objectives of the research.
Job satisfaction was another measure which was considered in the research. To measure
job satisfaction, the researchers used a 5-numbered scale, 1 representing very dissatisfied and 5
representing very satisfied. The measure for satisfaction was also valid and reliable as it allowed
the employees (participants) to express their satisfaction levels to the researchers without any
form of manipulation. The last measure, which was considered in the research was the
psychological distress of the employees, which was measured using a 12-item version of the
GHQ (General Health Questionnaire). This measure was valid and reliable as all the required
guidelines were followed accordingly to help to show the levels of psychological distress
experienced by the employees.
The control variables used in the research were also valid and reliable as they followed
all the guidelines followed when selecting good control variables in research (Noble, and Smith,
2015, pp.34-35). The main control variables which were used in the research were gender (males
and females), age (divided by intervals of 10), education level, extra income (from partners),
occupation positions, and working hours (fulltime or part-time).
Q4. Collection of data and social demographics

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The purpose of this research was to find the associations between quantitative and
qualitative job security and well-being but more data of some variables such as gender, age,
education level, and extra income were also collected. The purpose of collecting these extra
variables was to use them as control variables in the research. Control variables are the variables
which help any research or experiment to be completed more smoothly and more efficiently
remaining constant throughout the research process (Newey and Stouli, 2018). They also help to
reveal some common details or aspects or define some similar characteristics of the dependent
variables being investigated. In this case, the control variables collected were meant to help in
classifying the participants according to their gender, age, education level, and extra income
which were some of the similar details among different participants (employees). This
classification is very crucial as it makes the research smoother and more efficient by allowing the
participants with some similar details or features to be categorized together, making the
collection and analysis of their data easier.
Q5. Research design
The research design used for the current research is qualitative research design and more
specifically phenomenology research design since it tries to explain the experiences and the
feelings of the participants (employees) about their job insecurities (Lewis, 2015, pp.473-475).
On the positive side of qualitative research, some of the main benefits of this research design are:
It gives detailed responses to the issues being researched. Qualitative research design allows the
researchers to formulate and ask as many questions as possible, which enables them to get
detailed responses or solutions to their questions. In our case, the researchers formulated many
questions about the experiences or the feelings of the employees on their job insecurities, and

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with these many questions, the researchers were able to get detailed and satisfying responses to
their research questions.
Allows several options to be used to collect the required data. Some of the main methods used in
the collection of qualitative data include questionnaires, interviews, focus groups, among many
other methods (Taylor, Bogdan, and DeVault, 2015). By allowing different data collection
methods to be used, the researchers can choose the method they are most comfortable with to
collect the data or information they require from the research participants. In our case, the
questionnaire method was used to collect the required data.
Some of the data collection methods used in qualitative research design allow the researchers to
ask supplementary questions for clarifications or reinforcing the responses given by the
responses. Such methods include focus groups and interviews which allow the researchers to
communicate with the respondents directly and ask any extra or supplementary questions where
needed.
On the negative side, some of the main disadvantages of qualitative research design are:
It’s time-consuming as the researchers have to interact with all the research participants (the
members of the chosen sample size) to collect the required data. It becomes even worse when the
researchers are interacting in a live context as the researchers may spend more time asking more
supplementary questions.
It's very likely to give wrong or misleading results. As we know, qualitative research design
relies on the correctness and accuracy given by the research participants. Some of the
participants may willingly or unwillingly give wrong or misleading information, and this wrong

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information will mean the end results and conclusions will be wrong or inaccurate. Also, at
times, the researchers may influence or manipulate the participants when giving the responses
and this will end up giving wrong or inaccurate results.
It's tedious and expensive. To conduct qualitative research effectively, the researchers need to
contact all the participants taking part in the research individually. This is very tedious and
expensive, especially when the research participants (respondents) are far as when necessary; the
researchers have to travel to meet with these participants.

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References
Boddy, C.R., 2016. Sample size for qualitative research. Qualitative Market Research: An
International Journal, 19(4), pp.426-432.
De Witte, H., De Cuyper, N., Handaja, Y., Sverke, M., Näswall, K. and Hellgren, J., 2010.
Associations between quantitative and qualitative job insecurity and well-being: A test in
Belgian banks. International Studies of Management & Organization, 40(1), pp.40-56.
Lewis, S., 2015. Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches.
Health promotion practice, 16(4), pp.473-475.
Newey, W. and Stouli, S., 2018. Control variables, discrete instruments, and identification of
structural functions. arXiv preprint arXiv:1809.05706.
Noble, H. and Smith, J., 2015. Issues of validity and reliability in qualitative research. Evidence-
based nursing, 18(2), pp.34-35.
Taylor, S.J., Bogdan, R. and DeVault, M., 2015. Introduction to qualitative research methods: A
guidebook and resource. John Wiley & Sons.
Wang, N., Gao, X. and Li, J., 2018. Random sampling for fast face sketch synthesis. Pattern
Recognition, 76, pp.215-227.