Research Case The Importance of obtaining an Appropriate Sample

Sample Size

One of the fundamental tasks in qualitative research, other than the selection of a research topic, is to produce credible research by obtaining an appropriate sample. This is to ensure that there are enough facts for possible research and justifications of the qualitative research’s conclusions (Marshall, Cardon, Poddar, &Fontenot, 2013). According to Marshall, Cardon, Poddar, and Fontenot (2013), qualitative researchers rarely justify the sample sizes of qualitative interviews. Further, the available qualitative research methodologies provide few concrete guidelines for estimating adequate sample sizes. This is particularly evident in information systems (IS) research studies (Marshall, Cardon, Poddar, & Fontenot, 2013), despite the plethora of information systems (IS) qualitative research information that exists. Indeed, according to Sarker, Xiao and Beaulieu (2013), up to the mid-1990, a significant amount of mainstream IS scholars, particularly those in North American and Asia, research was assumed to be quantitative, and studies not using the accepted quantitative methods were excluded from the definition of research itself.

Qualitative research uses purposeful sampling instead of drawing a random sample and addressing the assumptions of statistical analysis techniques. Hanson, Balmer, and Giardino (2011) noted that the research chooses a sample of participants or documents to accomplish a particular purpose and to gain the insight most applicable to the research question. As the study proceeds, the qualitative researcher may identify additional participants or documents likely to confirm or challenge emerging insights in an attempt to build deeper understanding and to clarify themes (Hanson, Balmer, &...

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