Sampling Strategy and Sample Size for a Quantitative Research Plan Paper

Sampling Strategy and Sample Size for a Quantitative Plan - Research Paper Example In so doing, a good look at population will enable the researcher to determine where best to draw participants from. This student is currently working on a paper designed to study the relationship between dating violence and sexually transmitted infections. The purpose of this brief paper is to propose a sampling strategy based on strong social science principles that will enable realistic and helpful conclusions in the end. The population considered for this study will be African American high school students between the ages of 15 and 19 years old. In an effort to reach different demographics, two different types of schools will be included in the research sample. One school will be a local public school, while the other will be a private school in the same locality. An adequate number of African American participants should be invited to participate in the study to ensure that suitable numbers of respondents agree to do so. Pollard and Tomlin (1995, p. 6) mention that up to 50, but no fewer than 20, individuals should be included in the final data set. This will provide the researcher with enough data with which to work with, but not so much that confusion as to the actual results could take place. This number is also easy to work with when enlisting the help statistical aids, such as ANOVA, which will form a critical part of this research strategy and plan. The final number of participants that will be a part of this sampling strategy will also be dependent upon the actual design of the study. Due to the fact that there are a limited number of African American youth present in each high school being studied, this plan will allow for as few 20 youth to be included in the final panel. It has been demonstrated that a sampling group of this size will be reflective of the respective high schools being studied and will end up being comparable to other