Sampling and Data Collection in Research Essay Example for Free

Sampling and Data Collection in Research Essay Sampling is one of many ways to conduct research in human service. It consist of one or more elements selected from a population. The manner in which we select elements for the sample has enormous implications for the scientific utility of the research based on that sample (Monette, Sullivan, DeJong, 2011). In order to select a good sample, you must first decide what population you want to get the sample from. If you are not able to retrieve a good sample it can result in inaccurate conclusion. A major reason for studying samples rather than whole groups is that the whole group is so large that studying it is not feasible (Monette, Sullivan, DeJong, 2011). For example, if a human service worker wants to learn about pregnant women or some other large group of people it may be hard to study everyone in this group. Another reason for sampling is the information is more accurate from carefully drawn samples, than it would be if you studied the whole group. There are two types of sampling, probability and non-probability. Probability sampling is a method of sampling that utilizes some form of random selection (Trochim, 2006). This means that the samples are retrieved in a process that gives everyone in the population an equal chance of being selected. There are five different methods of probability sampling which are simple random sampling, stratified sampling, systematic sampling, area sampling and estimating sample size. An example of probability sampling is when the telephone surveys randomly select people to call in order to take the survey. Non-Probability sampling is when the researcher does not know the probability of each population elements inclusion in the sample (Monette, Sullivan, DeJong, 2011). There are also five methods of nonprobability which are availability sampling, snowball sampling, quota  sampling, purposive sampling, and dimensional sampling. An example for non-probability sampling is conducting research on a veteran who is suffering from PTSD and want specific answers. Studying all veterans who suffer from PTSD would be difficult so instead research can be conducted on individuals. If a researcher wants to know about a veteran who suffers from PTSD because of personal trauma instead of PTSD from deployment, non-probability sampling can be conducted. When selecting samples for human service research you should avoid being bias. Bias is defined as any tendency which prevents unprejudiced consideration of a question. In research bias occurs when â€Å"Systematic error is introduced into sampling or testing by selecting or encouraging one outcome or answer over others†. Bias can occur at any phase of research including study design or data collection, as well as in the process of data analysis and publication (Pannucci MD, Wilkins MD MS, 2010). In order to avoid being bias researchers can make sure that the method that they are using will help eliminate sources of bias. Randomization can also help because it will provide the group that has been selected with the same chances of being influenced by the exact same bias. Data Collection There are four levels of measurement which are nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio. Nominal measurement is basically categorizing the information or data that is retrieved like sex, ethnicity, and religion. Ordinal measurement is used to rank the information or data collected in order. Interval measurement is using a numerical scale to measure in intervals. Last but not least ration measurement has all the characteristics of interval measurement but with zero point as an absolute. In research reliability and Validity is used which is categorized as scales of measurement. Reliability refers to a measure ability to yield consistent result each time it is applied (Monette, Sullivan, DeJong, 2011). For example you weigh yourself on a scale one day and it reads that you weigh 175 pounds. The next day and the day after that you do the same thing and again the scale reads that you weigh 175 pounds. The scale is reliable because it shows the same weight every day. Validity refers to the accuracy of a measure (Monette, Sullivan, DeJong, 2011). For example the scale  might read that you weigh 175 everyday which makes it reliable but you might weigh 200 pounds which does not make the scale valid. It is important that ensure that data collection methods and instruments are both reliable and valid because if they are not the data you retrieve may be incorrect. There are several methods on how we can gather data like conducting telephone surveys, online surveys, surveys via websites and focus groups. Every type of procedure has corresponding advantages and disadvantages. For example, telephone surveys are cheaper and quicker. However, quicker is not always better because using telephone surveys involves shorter period of time, meaning less data is gathered. Telephone surveys also have no visual contact, which means that you cannot observe the person that’s taking the survey. Online surveys and surveys via website advantages are that they are cheaper, can get results quickly, and you can gather information from anywhere around the world. The disadvantage of internet surveys is not many people would choose to take the time to complete an online survey. Focus groups have an advantage because you can gather data from a large number of people at one time but the disadvantage is that it can be time consuming and the information gathered may be hard to evaluate. If I had to collect data depending on these types of surveys, I would prefer focus group because I would be able to see the group of people I would be interviewing as well as gain insight of the people in the focus group. References Monette, D. R., Sullivan, T. j., DeJong, C. R. (2011). Applied Social Research. A Tool for the Human Services (8th Ed.). Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection database. Pannucci MD, C. J., Wilkins MD MS, E. G. (2010, August). Identifying and Avoiding Bias in Research. Plast Reconstr Surg, 126(2), 619-625. Trochim, W. M. (2006). Web Center for Social Research Methods. Retrieved from http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/sampprob.php

Contagiousness of Violence Essay -- Holocaust, Hitler, Jews

The Holocaust is one of the most researched atrocities of recent History; there are many atrocities that one can research, why the Holocaust? Because along with being a horrific event in human history, it’s also a testament to the strength of the survivors, and a testament to the Horrors that Hitler began. This period in history can be separated into two major parts; the persecution of the Jewish people, and the extermination of all undesirables, which constituted mostly of Jews. Often times when researching the Holocaust you hear about Hitler and his villainy, but he was only part of the problem. This Paper intends to compare the arguments presented by Saul Friedlander in Nazi Germany and the Jews 1939-1945 The Years of Extermination and Peter Longerich in the Holocaust the Nazi Persecution and Murder of the Jews; the paper will examine the contagiousness of violence, hatred, and prejudice that the Germans and the occupied territories participated in between 1933 and 1945 of Hitler’s Nazi Regime. Nazi Germany and the Jews 1939-1945 the Years of Extermination begins the examination into the Holocaust by looking at the person who nurtured and strengthened the anti-Semitic feelings in Germany, and subsequently Europe, Adolf Hitler. Under Hitler’s Germany there was the essence of a political religion that is the devotion Germany felt for his cultural, and political goals is comparable to one’s faith in God. He had absolute loyalty, he ruled with fear, propaganda, and his personality; the key detail in his political rise to power is the externalizing of blame. â€Å"in Hitler’s views the Jews were first and foremost an active (Eventually deadly) threat† (Friedlander 16) he saw the Jews as the root of all evil, behind all the detrimental... ...edlander examines is prevalent in Longerich’s assessment of German control of Soviet occupied territories, the only difference that exist between the two is the detail, Friedlander briefly covers the situation while Longerich dedicates and entire section just to the murder of the Jewish men and then the next to the escalation from just the men to all Jews. The paper thus far has covered Hitler as the catalyst for the infection that took a hold of Europe, then the spread of his atrocious views to the German populace, its disastrous involvement in Poland and soviet territories. Now the paper will cover the extermination of the European Jew. Up until this point the events weren’t part of the Final Solution to the Jewish question only the propaganda, fear, and hatred that the Nazi regime spread along with their infectious views of the Jewish population in Europe.

Critical Thinking Reflection Essay

Select one of the following questions and answer it in 200 to 300 words using the principles of critical thinking you learned in this course. How can we reduce poverty in the United States?  Will receiving a college degree improve your career opportunities? Has the United States peaked as a world power? Will receiving a college degree improve your career opportunities? Once I choice this question immediately my enculturation barrier surfaced, because as soon as I read the question I said to myself well yes it does, and I believe I said that to myself because that what we have all been taught by our parents, teachers, and media, so that’s what I know to be true. After realizing that I allowed my barrier to surface I stopped and started to ask myself questions that might help me figure out what the answer really is on my own. I asked myself things like, where is there proof of this? Are there facts that will support what I currently believe? After going through the series of question in my head I started doing some research. After I completed my research I found information that did support my original thought, but there was also information that I found to be informative but didn’t really go with my thought process. I found things like, â€Å"College grads also tend to make more, which many view as a benefit. According to a study by the Pew Research Center, over a lifetime of work, the typical college graduate earns $650,000 more than the typical high school graduate. (The study also found that college graduates have more stable employment.† (â€Å"Finding the Value in a College Degree,† 2014, para.). Which shows that having a college degree can benefit you. The other information I found that was informative was that â€Å"A college degree doesn’t guarantee high earnings. This benefit will depend on your intended major and school.† (â€Å"Finding the Value in a College Degree,† 2014, para.). This tells me that just because someone has a degree it doesn’t mean that they will make more money, they have to have a degree that applies to that job. After asking myself questions and doing some research I am going to say that having a college degree will improve career opportunities. Citation Finding the Value in a College Degree. (2014, September). The Student Loan  Ranger, (), . Retrieved from http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/student-loan-ranger/2012/09/12/finding-the-value-in-a-college-degree Write, once you have answered the above question, a reflection of the process of critical thinking you used in forming your response. Include the following in your reflection: How does the process of critical thinking you used relate to or differ from the process you used to find content for your answer? How can you use critical thinking in other areas? What steps can you take to ensure that you continue to use critical thinking in the future? Reflection The process of critical thinking that I used to answer my question relates because in critical thinking you have to be willing to think differently and not just go with what you think you already know. You also have to ask yourself question and be able to understand the answers. I believe that I can use critical thinking in other areas by making sure that I am always open minded and be willing to listen and learn form others. The steps that I can take to ensure that I continue to use critical thinking in the future are to be able to acknowledge when I’m letting barriers get in the way, and make sure that I try to avoid them in the future. Other steps that I can take are to make sure that I question almost everything, don’t always go with what someone wants me to believe. I will always ask questions and try my hardest to make sure that I understand the answer. I will also continue practicing and learning about critical thinking as much as a can so I can strive to become an advanced critical thinker.

Homoerotic Unions Make Up for Unsatisfying Marriages Essay

Homoerotic Unions Make Up for Unsatisfying Marriages Marriage is undeniably effective for some things such as procreation and rearing those produced children.Ê Biologically, all creatures need heterosexual union of some kind to continue their species, but this union need not be a required social construct.Ê In ancient and classical Greece, as well as in much of the world today, marriage is a social expectation.Ê Elders encourage young men to choose their even younger wives at the expected time and to create a respectable typical household.Ê But is marriage actually necessary or even what people desire?Ê Hellenic marriage seems to be constructed in such a way as to leave many Greeks unsatisfied and discontent.Ê Why else†¦show more content†¦says Aristophanes.Ê Thus, men who were attached to men seek men, women who were attached to women seek women, and those attached to the opposite gender seek the opposite gender.Ê Interestingly, Aristophanes suggests that it is from this last group that adulterers and adulteresses come (Plato 191d).Ê This implies that no one is satisfied in their marriage.Ê Either one desires someone of the same sex, or one desires someone who is not their spouse.Ê Also, according to the math in the cartwheel story, two thirds of humans must be homosexual.Ê Granted, this is an exaggeration.Ê Some marriages where husband and wife desire each other do exist, but these seem rare.Ê Nevertheless, marriages exclude the desires of many people, so they must act upon these desires in other forms of union. ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊHomoerotic desire, longing, and love in Greek texts are depicted as equally strong or stronger than the heterosexual equivalents.Ê Plato?s philosophers argue over who receives the privilege of sharing a couch with the handsomest of them.Ê Agathon and Pausanius are shown to be affectionate and loyal to each other.Ê Some of the strongest expressions of desire are found in Sappho?s lyric poetry.Ê She speaks of a certain woman as being what she most desires, claiming, ?I?d rather see her comely step, the shining luster of her face than the Lydians? chariots and infantry in armor (16 L-P linesShow MoreRelatedMarriage and Twelfth Night1541 Words   |  7 Pagesseparate roles, and the mixing of them would have been comedic, but in need of resolving. To a contemporary audience, this perhaps would not matter as much, and it could be argued that they are more concerned with the happiness felt by the characters. Marriage is ever-present in the resolution of Shakespeare’s comedies, and it is no different in Twelfth Night. The love triangle involving Viola, Olivia and Orsino is made clear by Viola: ‘My master loves her dearly;/And I, poor monster, fond as much on him;/