See attachment...Continued from previous assignments
FROM PREVIOUS ASSIGNMENGS 2020-2025 REFERENCES NO ai TOOLS
In statistics, it is critical to know what is meant by a normal distribution.
Write a 250- to 300-word response to the following:
What are the properties of a normal distribution?
Is a normal distribution always necessary? Why or why not?
Why do researchers often refer to a normal distribution as a theoretical normal distribution?
Include your own experience as well as 2 citations that align with or contradict your comments as sourced from peer-reviewed academic journals, industry publications, books, and/or other sources. Cite your sources according to APA guidelines. If you found information that contradicts your experience, explain why you agree or disagree with the information.
Due Monday
Review your classmates' posts and respond to at least one in a minimum of 150 words. Explain why you agree or disagree. Then, share an example from your professional experience to support your assertions.
Respond to Jalen
A normal distribution is a fundamental concept in statistics characterized by its bell-shaped curve, which has several important properties. Primarily, it exhibits symmetry around the mean, meaning that data is evenly distributed on both sides. Approximately 68% of the observations fall within one standard deviation of the mean, 95% within two, and 99.7% within three standard deviations (Frankfort-Nachmias & Leon-Guerrero, 2021). Additionally, in a normal distribution, the mean, median, and mode coincide, indicating a central tendency that is crucial for various statistical analyses.
Due Saturday
In Ch. 6, Frankfort-Nachmias and Leon-Guerrero (2018) explore various aspects related to sampling. Explore the aims of sampling and types of probability sampling. Then refer to your own mock study topic and variables identified in Week 1.
Write a 250- to 300-word response to the following:
What types of sampling do you think would be most appropriate for your study? Why?
How does sample size affect the validity of a study?
Include your own experience as well as 2 citations that align with or contradict your comments as sourced from peer-reviewed academic journals, industry publications, books, and/or other sources. Cite your sources using APA formatting. If you found information that contradicts your experience, explain why you agree or disagree with the information.
Due Monday
Review your classmates’ initial post and provide additional information and/or insights related to the examples they offered. You should respond to at least one classmate in a minimum of 150 words.
Respond to Derrick
For the study titled The Role of Leadership in Curriculum Design and Instructional Strategies to Enhance Retention and Academic Success of Underrepresented and Marginalized Students in Higher Education, stratified random sampling and systematic sampling is a suitable probability sampling method that ensures proportional representation from different strata, such as institution type, student demographics, and geographic regions, to account for the significant differences in marginalized student experiences based on institutional characteristics, thus enhancing the representativeness of the findings (Frankfort-Nachmias & Leon-Guerrero, 2018).
Systematic sampling offers a simple, consistent method for selecting institutions or student records within each stratum, (e.g., selecting every 5th institution from a sorted IPEDS list that has reported diversity action plans). reducing selection bias and improving efficiency in large-scale data collection, as suggested by Taherdoost (2018).
Sample size significantly impacts the validity and reliability of a study, as it reduces sampling error, increases statistical power, and allows for better generalization of results to the larger population (Babbie, 2021). In my experience as a healthcare director, I learned that small, convenience samples often failed to reflect actual performance trends. Larger, systematically collected samples provided data for more confident decision-making. As a teacher, I observed that small sample sizes in student feedback surveys led to skewed perceptions, emphasizing the importance of sample size in educational settings.
Research by Etikan and Bala (2017) highlights the importance of appropriate sample sizes in research, as insufficient sample sizes can lead to Type II errors, where real effects go undetected. This is relevant in healthcare and education, where insufficient sample sizes can result in misleading or inconclusive results when evaluating leadership strategies or policy outcomes. Using appropriately sized samples provides reliable data, enabling informed decisions and effective interventions. The study emphasizes the need for both well-designed sampling methods and adequate sample size for valid, impactful research outcomes in practical settings.
However, some argue that small, targeted samples in qualitative studies can still yield rich, valid insights (Patton, 2015). While I appreciate the depth offered by qualitative methods, I disagree that such samples are sufficient for a study like mine, which requires generalizable, quantitative evidence across institutions.
References
Babbie, E. R. (2021). The practice of social research (15th ed.). Cengage Learning. Etikan, I., & Bala, K. (2017). Sampling and sampling methods. Biometrics & Biostatistics International Journal, 5(6), 00149. https://doi.org/10.15406/bbij.2017.05.00149
Frankfort-Nachmias, C., & Leon-Guerrero, A. (2018). Social statistics for a diverse society (8th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Taherdoost, H. (2018). Sampling methods in research methodology; How to choose a sampling technique for research. International Journal of Academic Research in Management, 7(2), 18–27.
