How many interviews are enough? An experiment with data saturation and variability
How many interviews are enough? An experiment with data saturation and variability
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DOI：
10.1177/1525822x05279903
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发表时间：
2006-02-01
期刊：
影响因子：
1.7
通讯作者：
Johnson, Laura
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Guest, Greg;Bunce, Arwen;Johnson, Laura
确定非概率样本量的准则实际上是不存在的。目的样本是最常用的非概率抽样形式，其大小通常取决于“饱和度”的概念，即在数据中没有观察到新信息或主题的点。虽然饱和度的概念在概念层面上是有帮助的，但它对在数据收集之前估计样本大小提供了很少的实际指导，这是进行质量研究所必需的。使用的数据从一项研究，涉及60个深入采访妇女在两个西非国家，作者系统地记录了数据的饱和度和可变性的专题分析过程中。他们操作饱和度，并提出基于证据的建议，关于非概率样本量的采访。根据数据集，他们发现饱和发生在前12次访谈中，尽管元主题的基本元素早在6次访谈中就已经存在。数据内的变异性遵循类似的模式。
Guidelines for determining nonprobabilistic sample sizes are virtually nonexistent. Purposive samples are the most commonly), used form of nonprobabilistic sampling, and their size typically relies on the concept of "saturation," or the point at which no new information or themes are observed in the data. Although the idea of saturation is helpful at the conceptual level, it provides little practical guidance for estimating sample sizes, prior to data collection, necessary for conducting quality research. Using data from a study involving sixty in-depth interviews with women in two West African countries, the authors systematically document the degree of data saturation and variability over the course of thematic analysis. They operationalize saturation and make evidence-based recommendations regarding nonprobabilistic sample sizes for interviews. Based on the data set, they found that saturation occurred within the first twelve interviews, although basic elements for metathemes were present as early as six interviews. Variability within the data followed similar patterns.