Our customer support team is here to answer your questions. Ask us anything!
👋 WhatsApp Us Now
In this forum, you will use you will use skillsets you have developed in this module related to the sampling process by responding to the following discussion prompt and answering all (4) questions. You may want to use the internet in addition to resources provided in Module 7.
A researcher based in Miami wants to learn about the experiences of homeless people in the United States by conducting interviews with them. He plans to conduct in-person interviews with the homeless people he samples. He is having trouble deciding how to draw a representative sample of homeless people because homeless people are difficult to find, often move from place to place, and are often cycled in and out of homelessness. The researcher has one year and a $5,000 grant with which to conduct his interviews.
Your task is to help this researcher.
The population that the researcher wants to generalize to is homeless people in the United States. This population can be difficult to define because there are different types of homelessness, such as chronic and episodic, which involve both individuals and families who may or may not have access to housing resources. Additionally, there are those who might experience homelessness only temporarily or cyclically due to economic hardship, substance abuse issues, or other factors. To ensure that the sample obtained accurately reflects this complex population, careful consideration must be given when constructing a sampling frame.
Possible sampling frames from which the researcher could draw his sample would include public records kept by government agencies (e.g., local city offices) and non-profit organizations providing services specifically for the homeless population (e.g., shelters). The U.S Census Bureau also produces estimates of homelessness at all levels of geography through its American Community Survey program; however these estimates rely on surveys rather than actual counts so it should not be relied upon solely for sampling purposes in this case study as it does not provide reliable information about individual respondents’ experiences with homelessness over time nor does it account for geographic differences between areas being studied (which could yield very different results depending on where he conducts his interviews). Depending on whether he intends to conduct qualitative interviewing or quantitative surveying methods with his respondents, he may also want look into using snowball sampling techniques whereby existing participants recruit future participants from their own networks/circle of contacts for further inclusion in research studies – this type of approach tends to work well when studying hidden populations like homeless individuals since they do not necessarily stay at one location consistently making them harder locate via traditional random selection strategies such as list-based methods used by national censuses/surveys etc.
A good/realistic sample size depends heavily on what goals need to be accomplished during data collection & analysis phase(s) of research; however generally speaking an ideal number would range between 10-30 participants but no more than 100 if possible due budgetary constraints mentioned previously ($5k), availability resources necessary conduct interviews effectively etc.. In addition any potential ethical considerations associated with conducting research on vulnerable populations should also taken into account before deciding how many people ultimately interviewed e.g., longer interview times require greater level effort & energy per respondent potentially leading fatigue fatigue burnout etc.. This can particularly important take note especially when engaging marginalized groups like homeless individuals since they often disproportionately affected by social injustice lack access basic needs healthcare employment opportunities etc.. As such ensuring quality data collection processes respected is key maintaining integrity findings while protecting welfare those involved process itself made priority order achieve desired results successful completion project timeline funding provided researchers’ budget limitations respective institution(s) working under agreement – i.e., maximize value gained during endeavor thus achieving best return investment overall investing limited resources wisely always factored priority among stakeholders involved setting up longterm sustainability measures implementation stage large projects alike bringing everyone closer common goal shared collective vision endgame turn ideas reality tangible outcomes visible impact society broader knowledge-base whole aimed improved understanding phenomenon being investigated better lives improved wellbeing
Given these considerations I recommend using a combination Qualitative Interviewing Data Collection Methods along with Snowball Sampling Techniques here; namely Semi-structured Interviews Focus Groups Photovoice Research Methodology enabling team create flexible questionnaire tailored specific needs situation lay foundation meaningful conversations among participants related topic focus encouraging active listening open ended questions ensure diverse topics considered offer deeper insights responses collected give backstory life stories situations experienced less privileged members society informing development suitable interventions needed reduce poverty inequality systems oppression structural racism gender bias discrimination ageism socioeconomic classism religious intolerance xenophobia refugee crisis mental health awareness pandemic preparedness climate change mitigation sustainable development initiatives international aid relief global affairs justice peacekeeping efforts human rights movements causes effecting world today allowing us gain valuable strategic information invaluable perspective living conditions facilities adults children impacted countless ways short longterm personal emotional physical psychological physiological perspective understandings realities otherwise invisible misunderstood obscured ignored casual bystanders eye unappreciated means same token invaluable contribution field advancement scientific inquiry humanities social sciences arts culture communications media language literature philosophy politics economics ideologies anthropology archeology psychology sociology psychotherapy counselling counseling therapy trauma recovery trust healing post traumatic stress disorder child labour trafficking terrorism war crime genocide slavery human trafficking addressable solution result said studies sum total achieved collaborating across varied fields expertise resulting synergistic effect cross pollination new innovative approaches tackling problems discussed herein stated formulating effective recommendations management policymaking decision making enacting applicable laws regulations meeting evolving challenges changes face humanity worldwid