Assignment Task:
The subject is mental health issues among prison inmates. I need a a brief example of how this could be done.
The target population is the group of elements which are the people, cities, corporations, schools, books, music downloads, or whatever units about which or whom you want to ask your questions and draw your conclusions.
It is very unlikely that you will be able to study all the members of the target population that interests you. As a result, you will most likely collect data from only a sample of that population. Depending on the data-collection method you plan to employ, either probability or non-probability sampling will be more appropriate to your study. There are several different types of each of these sampling methodologies, so you will need to decide which one makes the most sense given the scope of your study and your logistical constraints, including time and money.
If you are using probability sampling, you must identify the sampling frame (i.e., the list of the population from which these elements will be selected), the sampling technique you will use, how many units you will include in your sample, how you will contact or recruit the participants, and any bias that will accrue in the course of the sampling.