6.1: Populations Versus Samples
- Page ID
- 124497
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Understand the difference between populations and samples.
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Explain why researchers use samples rather than entire populations.
Who or What?
When conducting research, it is vital to distinguish between your population of interest and your study sample.
Population
A sample is the smaller cluster of people or events from which you will actually gather your data. Researchers use sampling, the process of selecting observations for analysis, because collecting data from an entire population is rarely feasible due to time, cost, and resource limitations.
For example, if your research question is how do men and women's college experiences differ, it is physically impossible to study every college student across all nations and all time periods. Instead, you must select a manageable sample and then be transparent about your study's limitations regarding that group.
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Population vs. Sample: A population is the group that is the main focus of your interest; a sample is the group from whom you actually collect data.
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Sampling as a Process: Sampling involves carefully selecting the specific observations you will analyze to draw your conclusions.
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Review Scholarly Articles: Read the methods sections of two scholarly research articles. Note how the authors describe their populations versus their samples. Check the abstracts to see who the authors are drawing conclusions about versus who they actually studied.
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Plan Your Own Study: Consider a research project you might conduct. Would your population and sample be identical, or would they differ? Explain why.