Principal Watkins is conducting a study on student achievement at North Middle School. The school has 120 sixth graders, 120 seventh graders, and 185 eighth graders. Principal Watkins plans to randomly select 30 sixth graders, 30 seventh graders, and 30 eighth graders to participate in the study.

Question

Will Principal Watkins be able to form generalizations about the school population based on the sample?

A.
no, because there were not enough students selected from eighth grade

B.
yes, because the same number of students were selected from each grade

C.
yes, because the students were randomly selected by the principal

D.
no, because all 425 students from the school should have been selected

Answer 1

The best answer is:

C. yes, because the students were randomly selected by the principal.

While the sample sizes from each grade are equal, which could lead to disproportionate representation, the fact that the students are randomly selected allows for a better chance of making valid inferences about the overall student population. Random selection helps mitigate bias and improves the likelihood that the sample reflects the diversity and characteristics of the larger school population, despite the unequal number of students in each grade.