SAGE Research Methods - The SAGE Encyclopedia of Educational Research, Measurement, and Evaluation

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Sample Size

By: Samantha F. Anderson & Scott E. Maxwell
In: The SAGE Encyclopedia of Educational Research, Measurement, and Evaluation
Edited by: Bruce B. Frey

Sample size in the context of educational research refers to the number of participants in an experiment or study. The sample size has implications for how accurate the estimate of the effect under study will be (precision) as well as how detectable the effect will be (statistical power). This entry discusses the role sample size plays in both precision and power as well as how to plan the appropriate sample size for an educational study.

Precision

To understand how sample size is involved in the accuracy of an effect, consider a basic political poll. Suppose that 20 individuals sampled at random were interviewed about their choice between two different candidates. This type of study is modeled with the binomial distribution. If 12 of the 20 individuals reported ...

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  Anderson, S., & Maxwell, S. (2018). Sample size. In B. Frey (Ed.), The SAGE encyclopedia of educational research, measurement, and evaluation (pp. 1441-1444). SAGE Publications, Inc., https://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781506326139.n602
  
  Anderson, Samantha F., and Scott E. Maxwell. "Sample Size." In The SAGE Encyclopedia of Educational Research, Measurement, and Evaluation, edited by Frey, Bruce B., 1441-44. Thousand Oaks,, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc., 2018. https://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781506326139.n602.
  
  Anderson, S. and Maxwell, S. 2018. Sample Size. In: Bruce B. Frey Editor, 2018. The SAGE Encyclopedia of Educational Research, Measurement, and Evaluation, Thousand Oaks,, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc. pp. 1441-1444 Available at: <https://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781506326139.n602> [Accessed 25 Jun 2022].
  
  Anderson, Samantha F. and Scott E. Maxwell. "Sample Size." The SAGE Encyclopedia of Educational Research, Measurement, and Evaluation. Edited by Bruce B. Frey. Thousand Oaks,: SAGE Publications, Inc., 2018, pp. 1441-44. SAGE Research Methods. 25 Jun 2022, doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781506326139.n602.
  
  Anderson, Samantha F., and Scott E. Maxwell (2018). Sample size In: Frey, Bruce B. (Ed.),Sample size The SAGE encyclopedia of educational research, measurement, and evaluation Thousand Oaks,, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.; 2018:1441-1444. doi:10.4135/9781506326139.n602
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