Describe sampling theory and provide examples to illustrate your definition. Discuss generalizability as it applies to nursing research

Describe sampling theory and provide examples to illustrate your definition. Discuss generalizability as it applies to nursing research

Describe sampling theory and provide examples to illustrate your definition. Discuss generalizability as it applies to nursing research

            There are several research techniques, especially in the evaluation of quantitative research. Sampling theory is the body of principles underlying the drawing of samples that accurately speak for the universe from which they are drawn and to which inferences will be made (Hankin et al., 2019). The purpose of the paper is to describe sampling theory and provide examples to illustrate the definition. Further, it determines to discuss generalizability as it applies to nursing research.     

ORDER A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HERE ON;Describe sampling theory and provide examples to illustrate your definition. Discuss generalizability as it applies to nursing research

Description of Sampling Theory

Sampling theory is an inquiry of concomitants between a population and samples drawn from the population. Sampling theory applies only to random samples. For this purpose, the population may be defined as an aggregate of items with familiar characteristics (Hankin et al., 2019). Therefore, sampling is the process of selecting a small number of elements from a more extensive defined target group of elements. The information gathered from the small group will allow judgments about the larger groups (Pye, 2022). For example, a nurse researcher might randomly select states and randomly select cities within the sampled states. The researcher can then randomly choose a hospital from the selected cities. Within the hospitals, nursing units might be randomly selected for the study. Furthermore, in the case of a researcher intending to collect a systematic sample of 300 people in a population of 3000. They will number each population element from 1-to 3000 and select every 10th person to be a part of the sample (Total population = 3000/300 = 10).  As such, sampling aims to compare a larger population on features relevant to the research question to be indicative so that researchers can make inferences about the larger population (Young & Farber, 2019)

Generalizability in nursing Research

Generalizability applies to the characteristic of applicability in other situations. Shadish and Colleagues (2002) posit that the concept of generalizability may include treatment and outcomes. Further, they outlined two types of generalization, one connected to conceptual constructs and theory and the other to the causal concomitants. Simply put, generalizability is a measure of how useful the results of a study are for a broader group of people or situations (Yarkoni, 2022). For instance, if the results of a study are widely applicable to the majority of different cases, the study is said to have good generalizability. Generalization may be categorized into naturalistic, transferability, analytical and intersectional generalizability (Hays & McKibben, 2021). The basic concepts of generalizability apply in nursing research: the results of a study can be generalized when they can be used or when they help inform a clinical decision for patients who present for medication or care (Martin et al., 2020). However, it is recommended clinical researchers need to make reasoned decisions about the generalizability of research findings beyond a study population.

In nursing, several research findings and determinations or decisions come from many qualitative and quantitative research investigations based on generalizability. They have had a positive impact on clinical practice and policy formation. However, a solitary quantitative inquiry is not intended to produce a finding directly applicable to clinical practice or to develop new cumulative knowledge. Rather, in nursing, generalizability is applied in terms of measuring how functional the results of that particular study are for a more significant situation or group of people (Martin et al., 2020). Therefore, in nursing, generalization conclusions drawn from the research study can be applied from the sample population to the general population to inform or guide clinical practice or policy. In addition, generalizability brings consensus to nursing findings and determinations in assessing the quality and robustness of such conclusions (Martin et al., 2020).

Conclusion

Sampling theory is a body of principles that involves drawing samples that accurately represent the universe from which they are taken and to which inferences are made. It consists in selecting a small number of elements from a more extensive defined target group of elements so that the information gathered from the small group will allow determinations to be made about the larger groups. On the other hand, generalizability is a measure of how applicable the outcome of a study is for a wider group of people or situations; the concept is applied in nursing research in the generalization determinations and conclusions in clinical practice and policy.

References

Hays, D. G., & McKibben, W. B. (2021). Promoting rigorous research: Generalizability and qualitative research. Journal of Counseling & Development, 99(2), 178-188. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcad.12365

Hankin, D., Mohr, M. S., & Newman, K. B. (2019). Sampling theory: For the ecological and natural resource sciences. Oxford University Press, USA.

Martin, R. C., DiBlasio, C. A., Fowler, M. E., Zhang, Y., & Kennedy, R. E. (2020). Assessment of the generalizability of clinical trials of delirium interventions. JAMA network open, 3(7), e2015080-e2015080. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.15080

Pye, J. (2022). Lorentz-covariant sampling theory for fields. arXiv preprint arXiv:2202.03589. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2202.03589

Young, M., & Farber, S. (2019). The who, why, and when of Uber and other ride-hailing trips: An examination of a large sample household travel survey. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 119, 383-392. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2018.11.018

Yarkoni, T. (2022). The generalizability crisis. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 45. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X20001685

 

Assessment Description
Describe sampling theory and provide examples to illustrate your definition. Discuss generalizability as it applies to nursing research