Sample Design for the Study
This document presents the sampling design based on the total population of 2463 students
distributed across different academic streams and gender categories in 22 higher secondary
schools across 7 blocks.
Population Breakdown
Category Number
Total Students 2463
Arts 923
Commerce 24
Science 1515
Male 1254
Female 1184
Blocks 7
Higher Secondary Schools 22
Sample Size and Sampling Method
Using a confidence level of 95% and a margin of error of 5%, the estimated sample size for a
population of 2463 is approximately 332. For greater representation and convenience, the
sample size is rounded to 400.
What Is a Proportion?
A proportion is just the part of a whole, usually expressed as a decimal or fraction.
🔢 Formula:
Proportion=PartWhole\text{Proportion} = \frac{\text{Part}}{\
text{Whole}}Proportion=WholePart
📘 Example with Your Data
Let's take the Arts stream as an example:
Arts students (Part) = 923
Total students (Whole) = 2464
🧮 Step-by-Step:
Proportion of Arts=9232464≈0.3746\text{Proportion of Arts} = \frac{923}{2464} ≈
0.3746Proportion of Arts=2464923≈0.3746
This means Arts students make up ~0.375 (or 37.5%) of the total population.
Let’s say you want to take a sample of 300 students. You want the Arts stream to be
represented proportionally.
Sample for Arts=0.375×300=112.5≈112\text{Sample for Arts} = 0.375 \times 300 =
112.5 ≈ \boxed{112}Sample for Arts=0.375×300=112.5≈112
Do the same for Science and Commerce using their proportions.
Stream Population Proportion (≈) Sample (400 × Proportion)
Arts 923 923 / 2464 ≈ 0.375 0.375 × 400 = 150
Science 1515 1515 / 2464 ≈ 0.615 0.615 × 400 = 246
Commerce 24 24 / 2464 ≈ 0.010 0.010 × 400 = 4
Total 2464 100% 400
Kothari, C. R. (2004). Research Methodology: Methods and Techniques (2nd ed.). New
Age International Publishers.
In Chapter 3 ("Research Design"), Kothari explains:
“In proportionate stratified sampling, the size of the sample from each stratum is kept
proportional to the size of the stratum in the population.” (p. 62)
📌 APA Citation:
Kothari, C. R. (2004). Research methodology: Methods and techniques (2nd ed.). New
Age International.
2. Creswell, J. W. (2014)
Book Title: Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches
(4th ed.)
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Key Concept:
Stratified sampling involves dividing the population into subgroups and then selecting
samples proportionally or equally depending on the research purpose.
📌 APA Reference:
Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods
approaches (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.
📘 3. Neuman, W. L. (2014)
Book Title: Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches (7th ed.)
Publisher: Pearson Education
Key Concept:
“Proportionate stratified sampling ensures that the sample reflects the true distribution of
the population across strata.”
📌 APA Reference:
Neuman, W. L. (2014). Social research methods: Qualitative and quantitative
approaches (7th ed.). Pearson Education.
Proportionate Stratified Random Sampling
✔ Why It's Best:
1. Representation of All Subgroups:
o Arts, Science, and Commerce streams vary greatly in size. Without
stratification, smaller groups like Commerce (only 24 students) might be
underrepresented or missed entirely in a simple random sample.
2. Reduces Sampling Bias:
o Ensures every stream contributes to the sample based on its population
size.
3. Improves Precision:
o Stratified sampling tends to give more accurate estimates of population
parameters (like means or proportions) than simple random sampling,
especially when subgroups differ significantly.
4. Gender Consideration (Optional Layer):
o You could also stratify by gender within streams (two-stage
stratification) if gender-based comparison is important in your study.