What Is a Convenience Sample?
A convenience sample is a non-random sample that is taken from a population because the participants are conveniently available. This type of sampling is often used in research when it is not feasible or practical to obtain a random sample, such as when time and money are limited. Convenience samples are not ideal for providing accurate results, as they are vulnerable to selection bias and other sources of error.
How Does a Convenience Sample Work?
When a researcher wants to study a population, a random sample of the population is usually the best option. Random sampling ensures that all members of the population have an equal chance of being chosen, thus making the sample representative of the population. However, when random sampling is not possible, a convenience sample may be used instead. With this type of sample, the researcher chooses participants who are conveniently available. This could mean that participants are chosen because they are easily accessible, such as those who are in the same location as the researcher, or those who are willing to take part in the study. For example, a researcher may be interested in studying the attitudes of university students towards a particular issue. In this case, it is not feasible to randomly select students from the entire university population. Therefore, the researcher may choose to take a convenience sample of students who are conveniently available – such as those who are in the same lecture hall as the researcher or those who are willing to take part in the study.
Pros and Cons of Convenience Sampling
Convenience sampling has some advantages and disadvantages compared to other sampling methods.Pros:
- It is fast and inexpensive.
- It is easy to undertake, as participants are conveniently available.
- It can provide a good understanding of the attitudes of a target population.
Cons:
- The sample is not representative of the population, so results may not be generalizable.
- The sample is vulnerable to selection bias.
- It is difficult to determine the size of the sample.
Conclusion
Convenience sampling is a type of non-random sampling that is often used in research when it is not feasible or practical to obtain a random sample. This type of sampling has some advantages, such as being fast and inexpensive, but it is vulnerable to selection bias and other sources of error. Therefore, convenience sampling should only be used when no other sampling method is possible.
References
- Babbie, E. (2017). The practice of social research. Cengage Learning.
- Johnson, B., & Christensen, L. (2015). Educational research: Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed approaches (Vol. 4). Sage.
- Johnson, R. B., & Onwuegbuzie, A. J. (2004). Mixed methods research: A research paradigm whose time has come. Educational researcher, 33(7), 14-26.