Assessment Essay on Research: Sample Size, Sampling Method, Variables, and Research Design

Running Head: RESEARCH 1
Assessment Essay
Student’s Name
Date

RESEARCH 2
This essay analyses a case study provided by looking into the major aspects of the
research that includes the size of the sample used, sampling method, the variables in the research
and the methods used in measuring variables and the research design used in the research.
Sample Size
According to Morse, (2000) a sample is a part of the population that is used to represent
the whole population in research. A sample should, therefore, a part of the population that gives
a true picture of the whole population. The amount and type of sample is therefore of a great
importance to the researcher since it dictates the accuracy of the results obtained in the research,
(Morse, 2000). When doing a research, therefore, a researcher should make sure that the size of
data obtained will be able to give accurate results, (Morse, 2000). The size of the sample
obtained is directly proportional to the accuracy of results obtained, (Morse, 2000). When you
increase the size of your sample, the population will be highly represented and hence a great
probability of obtaining accurate results about the true nature of the population. However due to
the always limited resources and time, one should be careful not to take a population that is too
large and hence time-consuming and expensive, (Morse, 2000).
In the case study, the researcher decided to use a very large sample size. This size is not
necessary. The first reason why this sample size is not advocated for is that resources are always
scarce and hence the need for preservation, (Morse, 2000). The larger the sample size, the higher
amount of resources required to successfully handle the sample. This is the reason why
researchers usually look for the lowest number of the sample to be used to acquire accurate
results. The other reason is the time factor. When dealing with a smaller sample, one is able to
devote adequate time to the sample and hence able to obtain accurate results as opposed to one
who has a large sample that is not well attended to, (Morse, 2000). A researcher is therefore

RESEARCH 3
supposed to be careful in the calculation of the sample size required for the target population,
(Morse, 2000).
In the case study, for instance, the most desirable sample size is around 1,100 employees.
This is based on the formula used to calculate sample size using the confidence level, population
size, error margin and the standard deviation, (Morse, 2000). The confidence level used in the
calculation was at 99% which is a very desirable accuracy level for all researchers. In relation to
the sample size used by the researcher in the research, the population is too high.
Sampling method
The sampling method that was adopted by the researcher was simple random sampling.
In this method, as described in the research report, every employee had an equal chance to be
chosen as a sample regardless of the institution in which he or she works. In this sampling
procedure, the sample was chosen without bias in that every employee has an equal chance to be
taken as a sample for the whole population.
The first advantage of this method is that there is a very high chance that the researcher
will be able to get a representation of the whole population and hence avoiding monotony,
(Salganik, 2006). This is because every person in the population has an equal chance to be
chosen to represent the entire population. This method also ensures that there occurs no bias by
the researcher in the selection of the sample, (Salganik, 2006).
The second advantage of this method is that this method is simple to use and also saves
time, (Salganik, 2006). Since the method is not procedural as such, it takes less time and also can
be used without necessarily having expert knowledge in sample taking. As opposed to other