How Do Researchers Decide on the Size of a Sample

question 27

Essay

How do researchers decide on the size of a sample to use in quantitative research?

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Definitions:

P < .05

A statistical threshold indicating that the probability of observing the obtained result, or more extreme, if the null hypothesis is true, is less than 5%.

T-test

A statistical test used to compare the means of two groups or test a single mean against a known value.

Critical Value

A point on the scale of the test statistic beyond which we reject the null hypothesis; it defines the cutoff between significance and non-significance.

Null Hypothesis

A hypothesis that suggests there is no significant difference between specified populations, or no association among groups.