Analysis of Sample Selection, Sample Composition and Research Design: A Review of the past Decade's Contributions to the South African Journal of Psychology

Abstract

This review of research published in the South African Journal of Psychology (SAJP) between 1979 and 1988 included analyses of populations, methods of sample selection, some aspects of sample composition, types of research design employed and approaches to knowledge building. Altogether 149 articles (containing 159 studies) were reviewed. Accessible populations were defined in 67% of the contributions, but in only 3% of the studies were useful descriptions of these populations provided. Only 18% of the studies made use of randomized sample selection procedures while 25% did not explain the procedure used to select their samples. Explicit recognition of population and sample limitations in drawing conclusions was found in only 7% and 19% of the studies respectively. Also, 31% of all samples were drawn from student populations. Eighty-three per cent of the studies were intra-culturally oriented, but nearly half of these made use of only white samples. A fairly small number of cross-cultural studies (17%) were recorded. Research designs most frequently adopted were correlational type studies (45%) while the favoured approach to knowledge building was to extend findings (57%) rather than to test theory or replicate prior research. A comparison with a similar analysis of the American Educational Research Journal revealed that mostly only minor differences exist between the two journals. Other topics addressed included an examination of trends over time, the implications of using non-randomized samples, the low incidence of cross-cultural studies and the limited attention paid to replication approaches to knowledge building.