General, Target, and Accessible Population: Demystifying the Concepts for Effective Sampling

Abstract

In this paper the concepts of general, target and accessible population are explained in response to misconceptions and controversies associated with them, and the fact that the relationships between them have not been explained in the context of qualitative enquiry in any formal study. These concepts are discussed in this study based on a general scenario. We basically attempt to explain the importance of specifying the general, target and accessible populations in a qualitative study when the study population is large. The study depicts how the research goal, contexts and assumptions can dictate the content and concentration of the target and accessible population in qualitative inquiry. It also poses the sampling implications of our explanations and highlights the stages and levels of what we refer to as population refinement.

Organizational Climate and Job Performance: Investigating the Mediating Role of Harmonious Work Passion and the Moderating Role of Leader–Member Exchange and Coaching

“…Meetings were held with employees of the various RCBs together with the managers of the banks to explain the study’s objectives and offer assurances of confidentiality and non-bank-specific aggregation of data for purposes of analysis. The total accessible population of 105 RCBs branches was 955 employees who met selection criteria in accordance with Asiamah et al (2017). The selection criteria required that (a) one was a permanent employee of the bank; (b) one had worked in the bank for at least 6 months, this was to ensure each participant had substantial experience with the bank’s climate; (c) one had at least basic education or the ability to read and write in the English language, which was a medium of communicating items in questionnaires; and (d) the existence of demographic information about the employee.…”

Enhancing nurses’ job satisfaction through remuneration: can materialism be a threat?

“…Hence, the overall population size was 598. Two selection criteria were used to select members of the target population according to the definition of Asiamah et al (2017a). These are: the individual must have worked in the hospital for at least a year; and a nurse must be able to write and read well in English. …”

“…Hence, the target population size of the study was 579. Based on the definition of Asiamah et al (2017a), the accessible population of this study was individuals who were willing and available to participate in the study. The target and accessible population sizes in this study were the same because all nurses (of the target population) agreed to participate.…”

The Effect of Using Look, Spell and Read (LSR) Interactive Application towards Reading (CV+CVC) Skills among Slow Learner Students

“…In addition, two teachers with experience in teaching slow learner students in special education classes for more than 5 years were also selected as study participants. Selecting a suitable study sample enables the researcher to obtain accurate research information or data [15]. Meanwhile, a total of 10 students were randomly selected to be interviewed.…”