The answer lies in how clearly you articulate the criteria for selecting data sources; (b) your ability to purposefully select cases; and (c) the extent to which those cases are “information-rich… for in-depth study” (Patton, 2015, p. 264) with respect to the purpose of the study.
As you prepare for this week’s Discussion, consider turning your attention to the variety of purposeful sampling strategies you may consider in developing your research plan. Also consider that qualitative researchers seek a threshold or cut-off point for when to stop collecting data. There is no magic number (although there are guidelines). Rather, saturation occurs as an interface between the researcher and the data and (b) between data collection and data analysis to determine when enough is enough.
For this Discussion, you will critique a sampling strategy used in a research article.
To prepare for this Discussion:
Prepare a critique of the sampling strategy used by Yob and Brewer (n.d.). Include the following your critique:
Be sure to support your main post and response post with reference to the week’s Learning Resources and other scholarly evidence in APA style.
Ravitch, S. M., & Carl, N. M. (2016). Qualitative research: Bridging the conceptual, theoretical, and methodological. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Chapter 4, “Design and Reflexivity in Data Collection” (pp. 111–144)
Table 4.3, “Purposeful Sampling Strategies” (pp. 129–137)
Rubin, H. J., & Rubin, I. S. (2012). Qualitative interviewing: The art of hearing data (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Chapter 3, “Qualitative Data-Gathering Methods and Style” (previously read in Week 3)
Guest, G., Bunce, A., & Johnson, L. (2006). How many interviews are enough? An experiment with data saturation and variability. Field Methods, 18(1), 59–82.
Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.