Question

The California State University (CSU) system consists of 23 campuses, from San Diego State in the south to Humboldt State near the Oregon border. A CSU administrator wishes to make an inference about the average distance between the hometowns of students and their campuses. Describe and discuss several different sampling methods that might be employed. (Select all that apply.)

a. One could take a simple random sample of students from all students in the California State University system and ask each student in the sample to report the distance from their hometown to campus.
b. There are no potential problems with self reporting of distances.
c. Certain problems arise with self reporting of distances, such as recording error or poor recall.
d. Instead of taking a random sample, every student should be included in the study.
e. The sample could be generated by taking a stratified random sample by taking a simple random sample from each of the 23 campuses and again asking each student in the sample to report the distance from their hometown to campus.

Answer 1

A Simple Random Sample or a Stratified Random Sample of students across the CSU campuses would allow for reliable data collection on the average distance between student hometowns and their campus, taking into account that self-reporting may introduce errors.

Step-by-step explanation:

When considering methods to sample the average distance between the hometowns of students and their California State University (CSU) campuses, there are several sampling techniques that can be considered:

• (a) Simple Random Sample - This involves randomly selecting students from the entire CSU system, which could help ensure that each student has an equal chance of being included in the sample.
• (c) Self-reporting issues – When students report distances, errors can occur due to recording mistakes or poor recall. This is an important consideration that can affect data accuracy.
• (e) Stratified Random Sample - This method involves taking a simple random sample from each of the 23 campuses to avoid overrepresentation or underrepresentation of any single campus and can provide a more accurate reflection of the entire system.

Option (b) is incorrect as there are potential problems with self-reporting of distances, and option (d) is impractical for such a large population and not necessary for making inferences. Therefore, options (a), (c), and (e) are relevant to the question.