Discussion 2: Sample Size

Consider this scenario:

You are a researcher investigating risk factors related to pancreatic cancer. In order to promote positive social change, it is important to collect a large enough sample size to justify making generalizations to their population out of people who have pancreatic cancer.

In this Discussion, reflect on the number of variables you plan to use and consider the impact that sample size has on generalizability.

To prepare:

• As you consider the scenario, be mindful of the number of variables you intend to use and the type of research design/analysis to be conducted.
• Also, consider the importance of sample size to generalizability.

By Day 4 (Post First) (required but not assessed)

Post your response, based on what you know now: Without relying on the Power Table, what would be your “guesstimate” of the minimum sample size for your study, in order to justify generalizing from the sample to the population? Explain your reasoning for determining your sample size estimate.

Further, explain the possible consequences of having too small of a sample size for this study.