In support of postgraduate students within the InQuire Research Incubator program, the ninth workshop was held on 20th April 2021 in an online format. After getting acquainted with the sampling methods in quantitative research, we discussed the topic of sampling in qualitative research in this workshop. The presentation contained a review and comparison between sampling methods in quantitative and qualitative research. If the purpose of deductive “testing” is a particular quantitative hypothesis, then the desired approach to sampling is a random sample large enough to represent the population. In this way, the findings can be generalized for that larger population. At the other end of the research’ spectrum are research qualitative studies for “building” theory. Researchers conducting qualitative theory-building studies care less about representative samples and more about choosing the right people who provide a rich data set.
Consequently, the choice of participants differs in qualitative compared to quantitative research. During this workshop, the participants also discussed the topic of sampling and what is the appropriate approach for their research project proposals. The joint discussion removed dilemmas and made recommendations for improving project proposals.
