Critique the sampling strategy and sample size used in the attached article. Analyze how sampling strategy can strengthen or weaken a quantitative research study.
(1) Critiquing sample size and strategy
Operating under the assumption that persons living in areas classified as industrial would perceive their area as more industrial that those living in areas classified as non-industrial; the authors in this study used a quasi-experimental design to compare the psychological health of individuals living in four industrialized areas (Marques & Lima, p. 316). They hypothesized that for people already living already living in industrialized areas, perceiving their area as more industrial would lead to better psychological health. To test this hypothesis, they used a quail-experiment (a study with a manipulated variable without controls) that compared the psychological health of the individuals living in the four different industrial areas. A sampling strategy is chosen for participants to the study. This sampling strategy is a plan devised to ensure that they have participants that are representative of the population in the study.
The findings in the study showed that regardless of industrialized area (industrial vs., non-industrialized) there was a significant association between the perception of living in an industrialize area and psychological ...
This solution provides a critique of a quantitative study, and reports the sampling strategy and sample size used in the study.
Strength and weaknesses in the strategies are noted.