Sociological Data in Action: Teaching Sampling Distributions and Their Properties in Any Sociology Course

Abstract

This class activity introduces students to the concept of sampling distributions through hands-on data analysis using free and accessible tools. Using a simplified dataset modeled on the General Social Survey (GSS) question about hours worked, students draw random samples of varying sizes, calculate sample means, and compare them to the...

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Details

Subject Area(s):

Capstone Courses, Economic Sociology, Education, Family, Quantitative Methodology, Race, Class and Gender, Statistics, Stratification/Mobility

Resource Type(s):

Class Activity

Class Level(s):

Any Level

Class Size(s):

Any

Usage Notes

Activity Notes and Instructor Tips: 

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• Framing this Activity for Students:
  
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  2. It is helpful to remind students that this activity is exploratory. It helps keep the stakes low and increases engagement. Remind students that is ok to make mistakes and this activity...

Learning Goals and Assessments

Learning Goal(s):

1. 1. Students will be able to define key concepts: sample, population, sampling, sampling distribution, mean of the sampling distribution, and standard error of the mean.
2. 2. Students will be able to construct samples of two different sizes (n=5 and n=10) using Google Sheets spreadsheet functions.
3. 3. Students will be able to calculate the mean of sample means and compute the standard error of the mean using Google Sheets spreadsheet functions.
4. 4. Students will be able to evaluate how increasing sample size reduces sampling variability and supports generalizability.

Goal Assessment(s):

1. 1. How well students can define and distinguish between sample population, sampling, sampling distribution, mean of the sampling distribution, and standard error of the mean in their own words.
2. 2. Whether students can independently construct a random sample of n=5 and n=10 using Google Sheets spreadsheet functions.
3. 3. Whether students can calculate the mean of a set of sample means and the standard error of the mean using Google Sheets.
4. 4. How well students can verbally or in writing compare the variability between sampling distributions of different sample sizes and explain of the impact of increasing sample size.