Responses to students’ discussion postings

The below are two students’ discussions postings. You need to offer to their individual postings substantive responses as a student not an instructor. Please note that you need to respond for each student on a half-page with one reference.

STUDENT #1
State the sampling methodology you have chosen for your ARP proposal.

The sampling methodology I have chosen for my ARP is nonprobability convenience sampling. Nonprobability sampling is used with participants who are not randomly selected (Portney & Watkins, 2015). Convenience sampling is the most common form of nonprobability sampling because participants are chosen based on availability (Portney & Watkins, 2015). According to Dudovskiy (2017), convenience sampling is often used in the investigation stage of research to collect initial data concerning specific issues that can lead to other studies.

Explain why you chose this method.

I chose this method for several reasons. There is a time constraint on my ARP project, therefore, this method was chosen because I would only have to go through one institutional review board process. Another reason to use convenience sampling is A. T Still University email listing is broken down by degree program (e. g. School of Health Sciences or School of Osteopathic Medicine). Finally, convenience sampling was chosen to see if additional studies needed to be conducted concerning how to teach medical ethics to PA students.

What are the implications of this method for external validity (generalizability)?

According to Portney and Watkins (2015), external validity is the ability to generalize study results of participants to a general population. When using nonprobability sampling methods, it cannot be assumed that participants represent the target population (Portney & Watkins, 2015). According to Dudovskiy (2017), convenience studies can be exposed to selection bias and influences beyond the control of the researcher. Therefore, external validity can be threatened when using convenience sampling. However, convenience studies can be useful in identifying the need for additional research and generating hypotheses (Duvoskiy, 2017).

References

Dudovskiy, J. (2017). Convenience sampling. Research methodology. Retrieved from https://research-methodology.net/sampling-in-primary-data-collection/convenience-sampling
Portney, L. G. & Watkins, M. P. (2015). Foundations of clinical research: Applications to practice (3rd ed.). Philadelphia, PA: F.A. Davis.

STUDENT #2
State the sampling methodology you have chosen for your ARP proposal.
I have chosen a convenience sampling methodology for my ARP proposal. The most common form of non-probability sample is a convenience sample. A nonprobability sampling method is the most applicable and widely used method in clinical research. In this method, the investigators enroll subjects according to their availability and accessibility (Portney & Watkins, 2015). Non-probability sampling methods where the sample population is selected in a non-systematic process does not guarantee equal chances for each subject in the target population (Elfil & Negida, 2017). The most used and practical approach to convenience sampling is consecutive sampling, which involves recruiting all patients who meet the inclusion and exclusion criteria as they become available (Portney & Watkins, 2015).

Explain why you chose this method.
Convenience sampling methodology is easy, quick, inexpensive, and convenient relative to random sampling. It is called convenient sampling as the researcher selects the sample elements according to their convenient accessibility and proximity (Elfil & Negida, 2017). Convenience samples are useful for certain purposes, and they require very little planning. I will simply use participants who are available at the moment for my research. With the convenience sampling technique, the survey can be conducted in a short span of time.
What are the implications of this method for external validity (generalizability)?
As a nonprobability sample, convenience sampling is created when samples are chosen on some basis other than random selection. Because all the elements of the population do not have an equal chance of being selected under these conditions, I cannot assume that the sample represents the target population. The data collected by this method may represent the views of a specific group and not the entire population. Some groups may be over-represented and some groups may be under-represented. The probability exists that some section of the population will be disproportionately represented (Portney & Watkins, 2015). Therefore, it is difficult to calculate confidence intervals and margins of error. There is a high possibility of a sampling error. Therefore, with the convenience sampling method, I cannot generalize the conclusions drawn from my research and results cannot be applied to all populations.
References
Elfil, M., & Negida, A. (2017). Sampling methods in Clinical Research; an Educational Review. Emergency, 5(1), e52.
Portney, L. G., & Watkins, M. P. (2015). Foundations of clinical research: Applications to practice (3rd ed.). Philadelphia, PA: F.A. Davis.