A researcher is assembling a sample of 100 participants from the undergraduate population on campus. He begins by recruiting Asian American students to match campus representation and stops at 12 Asian American students, then recruits 88 other students. What nonprobability sampling technique is this?

• A. Convenience sampling
• B. Snowball sampling
• C. Purposive sampling
• D. Quota sampling

Answer: (D)

Quota sampling is a nonprobability approach where the researcher divides the population into subgroups and sets a specific quota for each subgroup, then recruits until those quotas are filled. In this scenario, the researcher aims to mirror campus representation by ethnicity, stopping after reaching 12 Asian American participants and 88 other students to total 100. The key is filling predefined subgroup numbers rather than selecting participants at random, which is what makes this quota sampling.

This differs from convenience sampling, which simply uses the most readily available participants without fixed quotas. Snowball sampling relies on participants referring others, not on meeting predetermined subgroup counts. Purposive sampling targets individuals with particular characteristics for a specific purpose, but quota sampling specifically emphasizes achieving a desired proportion of subgroups, not just selecting for a particular trait.