An Evaluation of the Sample Designs in Educational Survey Research.

This paper shares the findings of an inquiry that evaluated 50 survey articles published in a refereed journal, Educational Administration Quarterly, by examining the 53 sample designs reported in the articles. The paper presents a typology of the sample designs identified, discusses the problems of sample selection and estimation procedures, and delineates possible ways to improve sample design practice in educational research. Major findings are that: (1) oneand two-stage sample selections were typically used in the survey sample designs; (2) the target or survey populations were not defined in about half of the sample designs; (3) where complex survey data was involved, variance estimates, obtained using the standard methods, were not adjusted to account for any possible design effects; and (4) potential nonresponse bias effects were not investigated in any designs with low response rates. Overall, the general quality of the selection procedures in the 53 sample designs was compromised by problems. Editors of this journal should require sufficient information about sample selection procedures. (Contains 3 tables and 36 references.) (Author/SLD) ******************************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ******************************************************************************** PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY Lin Wang TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES .INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) AN EVALUATION OF THE SAMPLE DESIGNS IN EDUCATIONAL SURVEY RESEARCH