Does sample size matter in qualitative research design? If yes/no, why/ why not? Please, provide your valuable thoughts.
Dear Shovana,
An important aspect for sample size in qualitative research is when your sample responses reaches saturation. Usually, we stop recruiting subjects for qualitative interviews when you reach this stage.
Dear Kurubaran,
Thank you for your response.
So in your opinion it does not matter, as long as we reach data saturation even with 4-5 individuals?
Ideally would be between 20-30. You should reach saturation between this range, however in some cases it may be lower to about 15. But it never goes less than 5! It depends on your study population, subject of interests, the interview questions and your approach to analysis.
With both qualitative and quantitative research the sample size (or more generally the "stopping rules') depend on the goals of the study, the desired precision of the results, the design of the study, and various assumptions. As Kurubaran Ganasegeran points out, it depends on a lot. The more details you give the more useful the responses will be.
A true sample must reflect the requirements of efficiency, representativeness, reliability and flexibility for both qualitative and quantitative research. Hence, the parameters of interest in a research study must be kept in view, while deciding the size of the sample. so, use snowball sampling technique (a random sampling method) to discover the underlying movies and desires using in depth interviews for the purpose. Your study must desire the sample size.
While saturation is a key term for such studies as grounded theory, many qualitative research studies can focus on rich, in-depth analysis of fewer than 5 people. To gain insight into this, you might want to explore articles in The Qualitative Report (open access journal), and look for autoethnography, co-generative ethnography, life history, or (some) case studies and phenomenological studies.
Please refer to the following link, where there are useful/valued discussions/views/referred publications in relation to sample size (how many interviews)/data saturation.
- How many interviews are needed in a qualitative research? Is there any rule or popular practice?: https://www.researchgate.net/post/How_many_interviews_are_needed_in_a_qualitative_research_Is_there_any_rule_or_popular_practice
Of course, the more the size the accurate is the results. Welcome.22web.org
The technique used in the analysis determines the size of the sample
A common misconception about sampling in qualitative research is that numbers are unimportant in ensuring the adequacy of a sampling strategy. Yet, simple sizes may be too small to support claims of having achieved either informational redundancy or theoretical saturation, or too large to permit the deep, case‐oriented analysis that is the raison‐d'etre of qualitative inquiry. Determining adequate sample size in qualitative research is ultimately a matter of judgment and experience in evaluating the quality of the information collected against the uses to which it will be put, the particular research method and purposeful sampling strategy employed, and the research product intended.
Sandelowski, M. (1995). Sample size in qualitative research. Research in nursing & health, 18(2), 179-183.
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