Sampling error Essay Example

Sampling error Essay Research is defined as the creation of new knowledge and/or the use of existing knowledge in a new and creative way so as to generate new concepts, methodologies and understandings. This could include synthesis and analysis of previous research to the extent that it leads to new and creative outcomes.This definition of research is consistent with a broad notion of research and experimental development (Ramp;D) as comprising of creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of humanity, culture and society, and the use of this stock of knowledge to devise new applications (OECD definition). This definition of research encompasses pure and strategic basic research, applied research and experimental development.Applied research is original investigation undertaken to acquire new knowledge but directed towards a specific, practical aim or objective (including a client-driven purpose). Research is an ORGANIZED and SYSTEMATIC way of FINDING ANSWERS to QUESTIONS. | | SYSTEMATIC because there is a definite set of procedures and steps which you will follow. There are certain things in the research process which are always done in order to get the most accurate results. ORGANIZED in that there is a structure or method in going about doing research. It is a planned procedure, not a spontaneous one. It is focused and limited to a specific scope.FINDING ANSWERS is the end of all research. Whether it is the answer to a hypothesis or even a simple question, research is successful when we find answers. Sometimes the answer is no, but it is still an answer. QUESTIONS are central to research. If there is no question, then the answer is of no use. Research is focused on relevant, useful, and important questions. Without a question, research has no focus, drive, or purpose. RESEARCH METHODS The research methodology defines what constitutes a research activity. It utilizes or is applicable to a model, and therefore sp ecifies concepts and related statements.The methodology identifies what methods to apply, how to measure progress and what constitutes success. It also specifies how to communicate about an area of research activity. TYPES OF RESEARCH METHODS 1. Historical-Qualitative – it is the systematic and objective location, evaluation and synthesis of evidence in order to establish facts and draw conclusions about past events. 2. Comparative-Qualitative – often used together with historical research to compare people’s experience of different societies, either between times in the past or in parallel situations in the present. It is conducted at a macro level or at a micro level. 3.Descriptive-Qualitative (Ethnography/Case Study) – this is a detailed description of specific situations using interviews, observations, document review. There is a description of things as they are. This works best for questions like How do people implement a program? What challenges do people face? What are the people’s perceptions? 4. Descriptive-Quantitative – This is a numerical description like frequency and average. We measure things as they are. Questions for this include How many people are participating in the program? What are the characteristics of the people in this program? How well did participants in this program do? . Correlational/Regression Analyses – It is a quantitative analysis of the strength of relationships between two or more variables 6. Quasi-Experimental – It involves the comparing of a group that gets a particular intervention with another group that is similar in characteristics but did not receive the intervention. 7. Experimental – this is the use of random assignment to assign participants to an experimental or treatment group and a control or comparison group. 8. Meta-analysis – This is a synthesis of results from multiple studies to determine the average impact of a similar intervention a cross studies 9.Evaluation – this is a descriptive type of research designed to deal with complex social issues. The outcomes do not represent â€Å"how things are† or â€Å"how they work†, rather they represent meaningful constructions which groups create to make sense of situations they find themselves in. evaluation should be action oriented, defines a course which can be practically followed and usually requires negotiation. 10. Action-oriented research – similar to experimental research although carried out in the real world ather than in the context of a closed experimental system – it involves small scale interventions in the functioning of the real world and a close examination of the effects of such an intervention. This is a practical form of research, aimed at a specific problem and situation and with little or no control over independent variables. 11. Ethnogenic – the aim of this research method is to represent a view of the wor ld as it is structures by the participants under observation by eliciting phenomenological data and this takes place in undisturbed natural settings of the subjects. LITERATURE REVIEWLiterature Review is an analysis of prior academic research so as to identify the who, what, where, and whys’ of the chosen topic area. It is a critical, analytical summary and synthesis of the current knowledge of a topic. Thus it should compare and relate different theories, findings, etc, rather than just summarize them individually. In addition, it should have a particular focus or theme to organize the review. It does not have to be an exhaustive account of everything published on the topic, but it should discuss all the significant academic literature important for that focus.TYPES OF LITERATURE REVIEW Traditional or Narrative literature Review * Critiques and summarizes a body of literature * Draws conclusions about the topic * Identifies gaps or inconsistencies in a body of knowledge * Re quires a sufficiently focused research question Weaknesses: * A large number of studies may make it difficult to draw conclusions * The process is subject to bias that supports the researchers own work. Systematic Literature Review * More rigorous and well-defined approach * Comprehensive Published and unpublished studies relating to a particular subject area * Details the time frame within which the literature was selected * Details the methods used to evaluate and synthesize findings of the studies in question SAMPLING Researchers use samples as a way to gather data in cases where it is almost impossible to gather the entire population as respondents. Moreover, if it is deemed too costly and too time consuming to include the entire populaiton, sampling is also necessary. A sample is a subset of the population being studied.It represents the larger population and is used to draw inferences about that population. It is a research technique widely used in the social sciences as a way to gather information about a population without having to measure the entire population. There are several different types and ways of choosing a sample from a population, from simple to complex. Non-probability Sampling Techniques Non-probability sampling is a sampling technique where the samples are gathered in a process that does not give all the individuals in the population equal chances of being selected.Reliance On Available Subjects. Relying on available subjects, such as stopping people on a street corner as they pass by, is one method of sampling, although it is extremely risky and comes with many cautions. This method, sometimes referred to as a convenience sample, does not allow the researcher to have any control over the representativeness of the sample. It is only justified if the researcher wants to study the characteristics of people passing by the street corner at a certain point in time or if other sampling methods are not possible.The researcher must also take c aution to not use results from a convenience sample to generalize to a wider population. Purposive or Judgmental Sample. A purposive, or judgmental, sample is one that is selected based on the knowledge of a population and the purpose of the study. For example, if a researcher is studying the nature of school spirit as exhibited at a school pep rally, he or she might interview people who did not appear to be caught up in the emotions of the crowd or students who did not attend the rally at all.In this case, the researcher is using a purposive sample because those being interviewed fit a specific purpose or description. Snowball Sample. A snowball sample is appropriate to use in research when the members of a population are difficult to locate, such as homeless individuals, migrant workers, or undocumented immigrants. A snowball sample is one in which the researcher collects data on the few members of the target population he or she can locate, then asks those individuals to provide information needed to locate other members of that population whom they know.For example, if a researcher wishes to interview undocumented immigrants from Mexico, he or she might interview a few undocumented individuals that he or she knows or can locate and would then rely on those subjects to help locate more undocumented individuals. This process continues until the researcher has all the interviews he or she needs or until all contacts have been exhausted. Quota Sample. A quota sample is one in which units are selected into a sample on the basis of pre-specified characteristics so that the total sample has the same distribution of characteristics assumed to exist in the population being studied.For example, if you a researcher conducting a national quota sample, you might need to know what proportion of the population is male and what proportion is female as well as what proportions of each gender fall into different age categories, race or ethnic categories, educational categor ies, etc. The researcher would then collect a sample with the same proportions as the national population. Probability Sampling Techniques Probability sampling is a sampling technique where the samples are gathered in a process that gives all the individuals in the population equal chances of being selected. Simple Random Sample.The simple random sample is the basic sampling method assumed in statistical methods and computations. To collect a simple random sample, each unit of the target population is assigned a number. A set of random numbers is then generated and the units having those numbers are included in the sample. For example, let’s say you have a population of 1,000 people and you wish to choose a simple random sample of 50 people. First, each person is numbered 1 through 1,000. Then, you generate a list of 50 random numbers (typically with a computer program) and those individuals assigned those numbers are the ones you include in the sample.Systematic Sample. In a systematic sample, the elements of the population are put into a list and then every kth element in the list is chosen (systematically) for inclusion in the sample. For example, if the population of study contained 2,000 students at a high school and the researcher wanted a sample of 100 students, the students would be put into list form and then every 20th student would be selected for inclusion in the sample. To ensure against any possible human bias in this method, the researcher should select the first individual at random. This is technically called a systematic sample with a random start.Stratified Sample. A stratified sample is a sampling technique in which the researcher divided the entire target population into different subgroups, or strata, and then randomly selects the final subjects proportionally from the different strata. This type of sampling is used when the researcher wants to highlight specific subgroups within the population. For example, to obtain a stratified sample of university students, the researcher would first organize the population by college class and then select appropriate numbers of freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors.This ensures that the researcher has adequate amounts of subjects from each class in the final sample. Cluster Sample. Cluster sampling may be used when it is either impossible or impractical to compile an exhaustive list of the elements that make up the target population. Usually, however, the population elements are already grouped into subpopulations and lists of those subpopulations already exist or can be created. For example, let’s say the target population in a study was church members in the United States. There is no list of all church members in the country.The researcher could, however, create a list of churches in the United States, choose a sample of churches, and then obtain lists of members from those churches. References Babbie, E. (2001). The Practice of Social Research: 9th Editio n. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Thomson. SLOVIN’S FORMULA When to Use Slovins Formula * If a sample is taken from a population, a formula must be used to take into account confidence levels and margins of error. When taking statistical samples, sometimes a lot is known about a population, sometimes a little and sometimes nothing at all.For example, we may know that a population is normally distributed (e. g. , for heights, weights or IQs), we may know that there is a bimodal distribution (as often happens with class grades in mathematics classes) or we may have no idea about how a population is going to behave (such as polling college students to get their opinions about quality of student life). Slovins formula is used when nothing about the behavior of a population is known at all. How to Use Slovins Formula * Slovins formula is written as: n = N / (1 + Ne^2) n = Number of samples N = Total population e = Error toleranceTo use the formula, first figure out what you want your erro r of tolerance to be. For example, you may be happy with a confidence level of 95 percent (giving a margin error of 0. 05), or you may require a tighter accuracy of a 98 percent confidence level (a margin of error of 0. 02). Plug your population size and required margin of error into the formula. The result will be the number of samples you need to take. For example, suppose that you have a group of 1,000 city government employees and you want to survey them to find out which tools are best suited to their jobs. You decide that you are happy with a margin of error of 0. 5. Using Slovins formula, you would be required to survey n = N / (1 + Ne^2) people: 1,000 / (1 + 1000 * 0. 05 * 0. 05) = 286 PLAGIARISM According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, to plagiarize means * to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as ones own * to use (anothers production) without crediting the source * to commit literary theft * to present as new and original an idea or product deri ved from an existing source In other words, plagiarism is an act of fraud. It involves both stealing someone elses work and lying about it afterward Examples of plagiarism: turning in someone elses work as your own * copying words or ideas from someone else without giving credit * failing to put a quotation in quotation marks * giving incorrect information about the source of a quotation * changing words but copying the sentence structure of a source without giving credit * copying so many words or ideas from a source that it makes up the majority of your work, whether you give credit or not Belen, Other than these, review mo din ung statement of the problem mo, conceptual framework, paradigm at methodology dun sa pinasa mong research proposal before. Im sure itatanong un sa u.

Rape Essays - Rape, Acquaintance Rape, Date Rape, Free Essays

Rape Essays - Rape, Acquaintance Rape, Date Rape, Free Essays Rape Rape Essay written by Dan Esca Here is a number for you: 354,670. That is the number of women that were raped in 1995 (RAINN 1). That is equivalent of one woman being raped every two minutes (RAINN 1). Want more numbers? In the last two years, more than 787,000 women were the victim of a rape or sexual assault (RAINN 1). And one more statistic that might get your attention is that only 37% of rapes are reported to the authorities (RAINN 2). Fortunately, there are ways to drastically reduce these numbers. For starters women need to know what constitutes rape. Second women need to know how to prevent rape before it starts, and lastly women need to know what to do if they are raped. According to the book Our Bodies Our Selves, rape is defined as ...any kind of sexual activity committed against a woman's will (Avery 135). When a person says the word rape, people automatically think of a stranger jumping out of the bushes or chasing you down an ally. But, the most common form of rape is called acquaintance rape or date rape. Acquaintance rape is defined as forced, manipulated or coerced sexual contact by someone you know (gopher.uchicago 1). Acquaintance rape can occur by someone you have just met, or dated a few times, or even with someone to whom you are engaged (Hughes 1). Acquaintance rape accounts for about 60% of all rapes reported (Hughes 1). According to Hughes, date rape usually occurs when a man and a woman are alone whether in a car or at home (2). Also drugs and alcohol sometimes play an important factor in date rape. Many victims say later that they drank too much or took too many drugs to realize what was going on by the time they realized their predicament, it was too later (Hughes 2). Another reason acquaintance rape occurs is mixed signals. For example, the woman acts friendly ...the man interprets this friendliness as an invitation to have sex and when a woman says no she means maybe (Hughes 2). The reason that men do this is because they are taught to be aggressive and controlling at an early age. Men need to realize that this attitude can lead to date rape and should not look at women as sex objects. Women need to be aware of men like this to prevent being raped. Since acquaintance rape and stranger rape can occur at any time, women should know how to prevent rape before it starts. There are many steps you can take to prevent being raped. The first step is to be psychologically prepared. Women must accept the fact that they are a potential rape victim (ncf.carleton 1). The second step is to be aware of community rape prevention and counseling. The third psychological step is to recognize the locations and situations where rape is more likely to occur, and avoid them. After being psychologically prepared women must know what to do in each of the following situations: in your car, on the street, and in your home. When you are in your car you should follow these instructions (ncf.carleton 2). 1. Keep windows and doors locked 2. If you should be followed into your driveway, stay in your car with the doors locked. Sound horn to get the attention of neighbors or scare the other driver off. 3. When parking at night, select a place that will be well lit when returning to the car. 4. Always make sure the car is locked, and have the keys ready when returning to the car. 5. Check interior of car before getting in. The following information will be useful when you are on the street. 1. Be observant of things around you. If someone is following you, go to the nearest house or store. 2. Walk near the curb and avoid passing close to shrubbery, dark doorways and other places of concealment. 3. DO NOT HITCHHIKE. 4. Avoid short cuts through parking lots and alleys. 5. Walk with a friend if at all possible. Don't walk alone. 6. When arriving home by taxi or private auto, ask the driver to wait until you get inside. 7. Don't jog in secluded areas 8. Know the location of the special emergency phones on

Recruitment and Selection of personnel. How to evaluate the Essay

Recruitment and Selection of personnel. How to evaluate the effectiveness of recruitment processes - Essay Example In the next step, the research establishes a correlation between hiring methods and organizational performance across various parameters like financial, productivity, quality, customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction and quality staff retention. Research finds that some of the recruitment and selection practices have a higher correlation with organizational performance across all the above stated parameters. Finally the study suggests methods for evaluating the effectiveness of the recruitment and selection practices. Among various studies on human resource practices, there aren’t many that focus on measuring effectiveness of recruitment and selection methods. Recruitment and selection are those vital components of HR function that provide human capital to the organization, which forms the core of competitive advantages for the company. Attracting quality manpower through various strategies, screening, short listing and carrying them through the selection process and finally inducting the most suitable candidates in the organization are the various stages involved. Some of the researchers like Breaugh & Starke (2000) have tried to find a correlation between recruitment process and subsequently success of the selected candidate on the job. That provides one parameter for measuring the effectiveness of one of the components. Retention of the selected employees cant be ignored from the scope of effectiveness of recruitment and selection strategies. Though once the suitable candidate is hired, half the job is done, some of the issues related directly to employee turnover and retention, might be unrelated to recruitment and selection processes. However, staff turnout before becoming productive, can be a sign of ineffective process. In todays competitive world, Human Resource function isnt just a support function and the measures like Balanced Score Card have been developed to measure HR from financial perspective as