Читать книгу Social Work Research Methods - Reginald O. York - Страница 20

Drawing a study sample from a study population addresses the issue of the generalization of study results. In this chapter, the reader views this theme with regard to various methods of drawing a study sample (e.g., random sample, convenience sample, purposive sample) with special emphasis on generalization from a random sample or one that is not random. A unique idea in this book is the theme of logical generalization when you do not have a random sample. Logical generalization has a special place in social work research because social work students and practitioners normally do not have the opportunity to draw a random sample when engaged in the evaluation of practice. But they want to engage in generalization even if it is logical rather than based on scientific knowledge of sampling distributions.