Burauen Community College
Burauen Municipal Compound, Sto. Nino St.
Burauen, Leyte
SAMPLING AND DATA COLLECTION
2.1 Steps in the Process of Data Collection
1. Identify how to select participants for a study
2. Identify your unit of Analysis
3. Specify the population and sample
Population- is a group of individuals who have the same characteristics.
Target Population- is a group of individuals with some common defining
characteristics that the researcher can identify and study
Sample- is a subgroup of the target population that the researcher plans to
study for generalizing about the target population.
2.2 Calculating the Sample Size
Sampling- is the process of selecting a few from bigger group to become the
basis for estimating or predicting the similarity of an unknown piece of information,
situation or outcome, regarding the bigger group.
Sampling Error- is the difference between the results obtained from a sample and
the results obtained from the population from which the sample was selected.
PROCEDURE IN CALCULATING THE SAMPLE SIZE
Confidence Level describes how sure you can be that your results are accurate.
Confidence Interval (margin of error) shows the range the survey results would fall between
if our confidence level held true.
In the absence of such online calculator, Cochran (1963:75) provided the following steps in
determining the actual sample size:
1. First to do is to compute the initial sample size using the formula:
𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑠𝑖𝑧𝑒 = 𝑧 2𝑥 ṕ (1 − ṕ)
𝑒²
where:
z = score based on the confidence level (see Table 2.1)
ṕ = population proportion (use 0.50 if not sure
e = margin of error (1 -confidence level)
2. Next is to identify your population then substitute the initial size found in step 1 and the number of
populations to the formula:
Burauen Community College
Burauen Municipal Compound, Sto. Nino St.
Burauen, Leyte
𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑢𝑎𝑙 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑠𝑖𝑧𝑒 = 𝑛 (𝑁)
𝑛 + (𝑁 − 1)
where:
n = initial sample size found in step 1
N = the population
Table 2.1 (Confidence Level and Its corresponding Z-Score
Confidence Level z-score
0.70
0.75 1.15
0.80 1.28
0.85 1.44
0.92 1.75
0.95 1.96
0.96 2.05
0.98 2.33
0.99 2.58
0.999 3.29
0.9999 3.89
0.99999 4.42