Using the information in Part 1, Exercise 2, answer the following questions with a clear, appropriate response. For each question that includes an excerpt about sampling from a research article, provide the following information: (1) decide whether the sampling method presented is either a probability or nonprobability sampling method; (2) identify the specific sampling method used—that is, convenience, quota, purposive, network, or theoretical sampling for nonprobability samples or simple random, stratified random, cluster, or systematic sampling for probability samples (see Table 2-1); and (3) provide a rationale for the sampling method you selected. Some of the examples might include more than one sampling method to obtain the study sample.
1. Study excerpt: “Participants in this study were all women who had had, or might have, sex with men; that is, women not in exclusively same-sex partnerships. All participants were 18 to 35 years old, English-speaking, and attended a large, public, Midwestern university. More than 2,000 women completed Phase 1 of the study, a survey; of these approximately 900 volunteered to participate in the Phase II interviews. Women were selected from this pool to be interviewed using a purposive maximum variation sampling strategy. . . Based on survey data, women were sampled based on variation in their knowledge and use of emergency contraception and on some aspects of sexual history. . . Theoretical sampling was used to select potential participants based on the data as they were collected, including women who had experienced a pregnancy termination or ‘false alarm’ pregnancy. . . This process yielded a sample of 35 women who represented a wide range of experiences. When saturation was reached, recruitment and data collection ended.” The data for this study were obtained from a larger mixed methods study that included quantitative survey data and qualitative narrative interview data focused on collegiate women’s sexual behavior.
Source: Loew, N., Mackin, M. L., & Ayres, L. (2018). Collegiate women’s definitions of responsible sexual behavior. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 40(8), 1148–1162. Excerpt from page 1151.
2. Study excerpt: “This study was a part of a multi-site prospective observational study of COPD [chronic obstructive pulmonary disease] patients to explore the relationship between depression, inflammation, and functional status. . . Participants were recruited from various sources including outpatient clinics from three medical centers, pulmonary rehabilitation programs, a research database maintained by the investigators, queries of medical records and pulmonary function tests, Better Breathers Club, community pulmonary practices, advertisements, study website, and other referrals.” A total of 282 patients with COPD were included in the study.
Source: Lee, J., Nguyen, H. Q., Jarrett, M. E., Mitchell, P. H., Pike, K. C., & Fan, V. S. (2018). Effect of symptoms on physical performance in COPD. Heart & Lung, 47(2), 149–156. Excerpt from page 150.
3. Study excerpt: The focus of this quasi-experimental study was to determine the effect of a three-stage nursing intervention to increase women’s participation in Pap smear screening. Using “random sampling methodology, each apartment in the target area was identified by a number. Numbers were then drawn from a random numbers table. Women were contacted by home visits. . . . By the end of this stage, 237 participants had completed the pre-test.” Source: Guvenc, G., Akyuz, A., & Yenen, M. C. (2013). Effectiveness of nursing interventions to increase Pap smear test screening. Research in Nursing & Health, 36(2), 146–157. Excerpt from page 148.
