SELECTING SAMPLES

& SECONDARY DATA

Sofia Fernandes
SECONDARY DATA
Use of Secondary Data in Research
Advantages and Disadvantages of Secondary Data

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USE OF SECONDARY DATA IN RESEARCH
Secondary data refers to data that was collected for another
purpose, but that can be reanalysed under the research
project.

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ADVANTAGES OF SECONDARY DATA
Saving resources
Unobtrusive/Discreet way of collecting data
Longitudinal studies (comparing data collected at dierent
time periods)
Easy to access by others, thus making the research project
more accessible to the public

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DISADVANTAGES OF SECONDARY DATA
The data collected might not respond to the actual needs of
the researcher
Accessing the data might be dicult or costly
No control over data quality
The initial purpose for which the data was collected aects
the presentation of the data, which might not be in line
with the researcher needs.

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SELECTING SAMPLES
Probability Sampling
Non-probability Sampling

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SELECTING SAMPLES
When collecting data from every possible group member, it is
termed census.
When collecting data from a sub-group, it is called sample.
Why using sampling?
impracticable to survey the entire population
budget constraints
time constraints

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PROBABILITY SAMPLING
Probability sampling or representative sampling - associated
with survey-based research techniques where it is needed to
extrapolate the results in a representative sub-group to an
entire population.

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PROBABILITY SAMPLING

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PROBABILITY
SAMPLING

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PROBABILITY SAMPLING: SIMPLE RANDOM
The sample is selected by using random numbers.
The following steps need to be respected:
1. Number each of the cases in the sampling frame (total
population). The first case is 0, the second 1, etc
2. Select random numbers until the actual sample size is
reached.

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PROBABILITY SAMPLING: SIMPLE RANDOM
The random numbers can be generated by using random
number tables or a online random number generator, such as
https://www.randomizer.org

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PROBABILITY SAMPLING: SYSTEMATIC SAMPLING
Selecting the sample at regular intervals from the sampling
frame (total population).
Steps:
1. Number each of the cases in the sampling frame (total
population). The first case is 0, the second 1, etc
2. Select the first case using a random number
3. Calculate the sampling fraction:

4. Select subsequent cases systematically using the sampling

fraction to determine the frequency of selection.
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NON-PROBABILITY SAMPLING
The sample and its size is selected by subjective judgement.
The sample is dependent on the research question(s) and
objective(s).
Authors recommend to continue collecting data until data
saturation is reached: no new insights are provided by
collecting more data

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NON-PROBABILITY
SAMPLING

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CONCLUSION
Data that have been collected for other reasons are termed secondary
data.
The choice of sampling techniques is dependent on the feasibility of
collecting data to answer the research question(s).
For populations under 50, it is advisable to collect data from the entire
population.
Statistical analysis usually require a sample size of 30.
There are several techniques for probability sampling, including
random number and systematic sampling
When it is not possible to construct a sampling frame, non-probability
techniques should be used.
Dierent sampling techniques can be used in the same project.
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