Deck 12: Drawing Your Study Sample

Question 1

The key issue that is addressed by the nature of your study sample is ______.

A) causation
B) reliability
C) validity
D) generalization

Answer 1

generalization

Question 2

Your study sample is comprised of ______

A) the people from whom you collected data for your study
B) the data collected during the study
C) people who have similar characteristics of the people who provided the data for your study
D) employees of the agency where the study is being undertaken

Answer 2

the people from whom you collected data for your study

Question 3

Would it be wrong for you to say "I can only generalize my findings to my study sample?"

A) Yes, because when you generalize, you go beyond, so you must identify a group larger than the sample when you generalize.
B) Yes, because generalizing means keeping it simple, so you cannot go beyond the sample when you generalize.
C) No, because the sample is the closest body of people to your data.
D) No, because it makes sense that you can generalize to your sample because this is where you got your data.

Answer 3

Yes, because when you generalize, you go beyond, so you must identify a group larger than the sample when you generalize.

Question 4

Which of the following is true about defining a study population?

A) You can define the study population in any way you wish.
B) You can only define your study population as those people from whom data were collected.
C) You can define your study population as any group of people larger than your study sample if it includes all members of your study sample.
D) You can define your study population as the same as your study sample because this is the group closest to your study sample.

Question 5

What is a random sample?

A) a study population that is a lot like the people to whom you wish to generalize your study findings
B) the clients you are now serving
C) a group of people selected at random from the study population
D) a random group of people who are found in a given location in a given neighborhood at a given point in time

Question 6

For a research study, the students in your research class would best be labeled as a ______ sample.

A) random
B) convenience
C) snowball
D) critical

Question 7

When you generalize your study findings, you are ______

A) asserting that the results you got from this study are the exact same as the results you would get if you conducted another study from this same population
B) asserting that the results of your study are relevant to the study sample
C) estimating that your results must have been drawn from a random sample
D) estimating that the results you received from your study sample would likely be the same as the results that you would get from another sample from this study population

Question 8

You can scientifically generalize your study findings to your study population if you have a ______ sample.

A) convenience
B) purposive
C) random
D) snowball

Question 9

You can generalize your study findings to your study population on a logical basis if you have ______.

A) data showing similarities between the members of your study sample and the members of your study population on relevant variables
B) a convenience sample that you believe is representative of the study population
C) a snowball sample drawn from the members of your study population
D) a purposive sample of key informants

Question 10

In regard to the data you are analyzing in research when you have a random sample, sampling error refers to ______

A) the similarities among your study sample and your study population
B) the difference between your study sample and your study population
C) the similarities between your study population and the clients in your agency
D) the differences between your study population and the clients in your agency

Question 11

When selecting people for your study sample, a sampling interval is the ______.

A) distance between sampling frames
B) similarity of elements, frames, and denominators
C) distance between sampling elements
D) similarity of samples and populations

Question 12

By selecting ______, you could create a random sample of your agency's clients.

A) 25% of your agency's clients by using a table of random numbers
B) all clients who asked for service from your agency on a given date
C) all the clients who are in your caseload
D) half of the clients from your caseload using a table of random numbers

Question 13

Logical generalization of study findings can best be characterized as ______.

A) a scientific discovery
B) a random opinion
C) an informed opinion
D) generalization that comes from a random sample

Question 14

If you used a mailed survey for your study, the participation rate for your study would be characterized as ______.

A) the proportion of answers to the key study question that supported the study hypothesis
B) the proportion of people who replied to the questionnaire
C) the incidence of success of the clients in your study
D) the incidence of participation by clients in the group intervention

Question 15

What is the procedure for selecting a snowball sample?

A) You select your sample through a random sampling procedure such as the one where you select the fifth person from your list and every fifth person thereafter.
B) You select a rolling list of people for your sample by including not only those who asked for service today but also those who ask for service tomorrow and the next 3 days.
C) You select a sample from the list of the members of a particular organization.
D) You select a sample from a given location, then ask those selected to identify other people who are like them and you include these other individuals in your sample.

Question 16

Suppose that you selected a study sample that included all the students in your program of study. Why could you not define your study population as female students?

A) You will not have enough female students to justify this definition.
B) You cannot define your study population in a way that excludes anyone in your study sample.
C) You might have more male students than female students.
D) You cannot define your study population as a group that is larger than your study sample.

Question 17

Suppose that 234 people indicated an interest in your weight loss program and 107 of these individuals actually applied for it. Of these 107 people, 56 began the program and 41 completed it, 36 of whom responded to the tool used to measure weight gain. Which group would be the one for which it would be safest to generalize your findings?

A) the members of the community where this program was offered
B) the 107 people who applied for the program
C) the 41 people who completed the program
D) the 36 people who responded to the tool used to measure weight gain

Question 18

Suppose that you have selected the 19 clients in your current caseload as your study sample. You have found similarities between these individuals and the clients from the past year in regard to variables that help determine how well individuals make good use of treatment. For example, there were similarities in regard to the number of years in which they have experienced the problem that brought them to you agency. Which of the following is true?

A) You can generalize your findings to those clients you have served in the past year on a scientific basis.
B) You cannot generalize your findings on any basis because of the data you have analyzed and the way you have selected your study sample.
C) You can use your data on similarities to assert that you can logically generalize your findings to those clients you have served in the past year.
D) You can use the data you have analyzed to assert that you can logically generalize your findings to all clients served by your agency in the past year.

Question 19

Sampling error is a concept that can help you to determine ______.

A) the extent that you can generalize your findings to your study population
B) the extent that you can assert that it was your intervention that caused the measured client gain
C) whether your data were found to be statistically significant
D) whether your data are structured in a way that would suggest that a statistic be used to test the study hypothesis

Question 20

When you claim that you can generalize your study findings to your study population on a scientific basis, you are asserting that you have a ______

A) convenience sample
B) scientific basis for estimating sampling error
C) logical basis for claiming generalization
D) nonrandom sample

Question 21

If you have sample selection bias in your sampling procedures, you can generalize your findings on a scientific basis.

Question 22

Your study population is comprised of those persons who provided data for your study.

Question 23

Sampling error is the distance between your study sample and your study population.

Question 24

A purposive sample is a nonrandom sample selected because of special characteristics of these people that is of interest to the study, such as the selection of Hispanic people.

Question 25

The systematic random sampling procedure is one of the means for selecting a sample where you can generalize your findings to your study population on a scientific basis.

Question 26

The better your sampling procedures, the better you are able to assert that the intervention was the cause of the measured client growth.

Question 27

One of the steps in the selection of a random sample is the selection of the sampling interval.

Question 28

The concept of sampling error only applies to nonrandom samples.

Question 29

You generalize your study findings from your study sample to your defined study population, not just to any population.

Question 30

The selection of your study sample is a part of the conclusions section of your research report.

Question 31

When you conduct an evaluation research study, you develop a knowledge base, you select a study sample from a study population, you choose an evaluation research design, you select a means of measuring study variables, you collect and analyze data, and you draw conclusions. Which of these aspects of your study description is the one that gives you the basis for generalizing your findings? Identify why another aspect of this description is not the one that deals with generalization.

Question 32

Describe the difference between a convenience sample and a purposive sample and give an example of each.

Question 33

Think of how you might evaluate a practice that is familiar to you. Briefly describe the evaluative study you might undertake with information on how the study sample would be selected. To what population would you be able to generalize your study findings on a scientific basis? To what population would you be able to generalize your findings on a logical basis? Explain why.

Question 34

What is a study sample and what is a study population? Are all types of samples equal in regard to generalization?

Question 35

What does sampling error mean? Suppose you discover that your sample has more sampling errors than a colleague's study sample. Who is in a better position to generalize their findings? Or are you and your colleague equal in regard to this issue?