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Descrptive Statistics Project

INTERPRETING DEMOGRAPHIC DATA WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS FOR AN INVESTIGATION OF STUDENT ALCOHOL USE

Data were collected from a sample of university students in relation to an investigation of alcohol use. The sample from which the data were collected was a non-probability sample. A non-probability sample is one that is not characterized by randomness in relation to selection from a target population. The absence of randomness means (among other things) that every member of a target population does not have an equal chance of being selected in a sampling of the target population (Salkind, 2003).

There are several types of non-probability sampling. In the case of the investigation of student alcohol use, the non-probability sample type is a convenience sample. Essentially, a convenience sampling approach is one in which a research collects data from subjects who are easily accessible and who are otherwise qualified to provide data relevant to the objective of an investigation (Ott & Longnecker, 2000).

The major problem with non-probability samples is that such samples cannot be assumed to be representative of a target population. The reason is that all members of a target population do not have an equal chance of being selected for the sample when non-random selection procedures are used. In the absence of an ability to assume that a sample is representative of a target population, the findings and conclusions of the analysis of data collected from the sample may not be generalized to the larger population. Rather, the findings and conclusions apply only to those individuals included in the non-probability sample (Sprinthall, 2002). An inability to generalize the findings and conclusions; however, does not mean that valuable insights cannot be gained fro the analysis of data collected from a non-probability sample.

The non-probability sample selected for the investigation of student alcohol use i...

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Descrptive Statistics Project. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 10:59, March 29, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1696168.html