Mary Jackson Pitts, Ph.D.

mpitts@astate.edu

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Populations and Sample statements     These are examples and they may not reflect actual numbers

Example #1

Survey

To examine the research questions, a questionnaire was mailed to a systematic sample of assignment editors in the United States. The sample of editors was selected from a list of 1,220 commercial teleivsion stations. The list was obtained from the 1986 Broadcasting and Cablecasting Yearbook. (Taishoff, 1986). The systematic sample of 175 assignment editors was taken by selecting a random starting point and then taking every 7th commercial station in the list of 1,220. The 7th was chosen by dividing the toal sample size needed into the total number of commercial stations.

Example #2

Survey

A questionnaire was mailed to a random sample of television reporters in the United States. Television reporters were identified using the Broadcasting and Cablecasting Yearbook. Ten thousand reporters were identified in the Yearbook as the survey population. The sample of 500 hundred reporters was selected by entering into a random table. Each reporter was assigned a number. Each number had a equal chance of being selected.

Example #3

Content Analysis

A content analysis of television web sites was conducted during the Spring of 2000. The population of the analysis was all television stations listed as having web sites in the 1999 Broadcasting and Cablecasting yearbook. A systematic sample was selected from the 600 stations that listed their web site in the yearbook. Every 4th station was identified as part of the content analysis sample.

Example # 4

Content analysis

A content analysis was conducted during the Spring of 2000 which examined television commercials in the 2000 Super Bowl. After completion of taping the Super Bowl broadcast, all commercials were counted to determine the total population under consideration. Three hundred commercials aired during the four hour program. Of those 300 commercials, 75 were duplicates of commercials aired earlier in the program. Thus the total study’s population was 225 commercials. From the 225 commercials, 75 were randomly selected to be a part of the study’s sample. In hindsight, the researcher should have used all 225 commercial, better know as a census sample.