To best select a random sample from students at King Middle School, consider the following methods:
-
Simple Random Sampling: Assign a unique number to each student and use a random number generator to select the desired number of students. This ensures that every student has an equal chance of being selected.
-
Stratified Sampling: If you want to ensure representation from different groups (such as grade levels or classes), divide the students into strata based on the characteristic of interest and then randomly sample from each stratum.
-
Systematic Sampling: Select every k-th student from a list of the students after randomly choosing a starting point.
Among these options, Simple Random Sampling is often considered the best method to ensure that the sample is unbiased and representative, assuming you have access to a complete list of students.
However, the best method can depend on the specific goals of the research and the characteristics of the student population.