Describe three factors that affect how quickly saturation is reached in the context of non-probability sampling. Explain how and why each of these influence saturation.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Ans: A good answer will cover three of the following:
The degree of instrument structure: The more structure embodied in the instrument, the sooner saturation will be reached. Note that for studies using an unstructured instrument, or no instrument at all, saturation may never be reached.
The degree of sample homogeneity: The more homogeneous the sample, the quicker saturation is achieved. Groups that are alike on various dimensions are more likely to think in similar ways and have similar experiences.
The complexity and focus of the study topic: For more complex and intricate topics, it will take longer to reach saturation than for simpler and more targeted topics.
Study purpose: Finding high-level common themes across a sample will generally require fewer sampling units than identifying the maximum range of variation within a sample. If you’re interested in finding the big issues, a small sample is often sufficient. Conversely, if your study objectives require the comprehensive documentation of all the idiosyncrasies exhibited within your sample, you’ll need to sample substantially more than 6 or even 12 units.
Analyst categorization style: Some folks are “splitters”; they tend to see detail in everything and create codebooks accordingly. On the other end of the continuum are “lumpers”; these individuals like to group things into a few large conceptual categories. Codebooks created by splitters will invariably include a lot more codes than codebooks created by analysts with a lumper bent. The smaller the codebook being used to code the data, the quicker saturation will be achieved.