|
Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
|
How Many Interviews Are Enough?
An Experiment with Data Saturation and Variability
Greg Guest
Family Health International
Arwen Bunce
Family Health International
Laura Johnson
Family Health International
Guidelines for determining nonprobabilistic sample sizes are virtually nonexistent. Purposive samples are the most commonly used form of nonprobabilistic sampling, and their size typically relies on the concept of "saturation," or the point at which no new information or themes are observed in the data. Although the idea of saturation is helpful at the conceptual level, it provides little practical guidance for estimating sample sizes, prior to data collection, necessary for conducting quality research. Using data from a study involving sixty in-depth interviews with women in two West African countries, the authors systematically document the degree of data saturation and variability over the course of thematic analysis. They operationalize saturation and make evidence-based recommendations regarding nonprobabilistic sample sizes for interviews. Based on the data set, they found that saturation occurred within the first twelve interviews, although basic elements for metathemes were present as early as six interviews. Variability within the data followed similar patterns.
Key Words: interviewing • saturation • variability • nonprobability sampling • sample size • purposive
Field Methods, Vol. 18, No. 1,
59-82 (2006)
DOI: 10.1177/1525822X05279903
 CiteULike  Complore  Connotea  Del.icio.us  Digg  Reddit  Technorati  Twitter What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
|
|
 
D. T. Lau, J. D. Kasper, J. M. Hauser, C. Berdes, C.-H. Chang, R. L. Berman, J. Masin-Peters, J. Paice, and L. Emanuel
Family Caregiver Skills in Medication Management for Hospice Patients: A Qualitative Study to Define a Construct
J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci,
November 1, 2009;
64B(6):
799 - 807.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
F. Miquel-Verges, S. L. Woods, S. W. Aucott, R. D. Boss, L. J. Sulpar, and P. K. Donohue
Prenatal Consultation With a Neonatologist for Congenital Anomalies: Parental Perceptions
Pediatrics,
October 1, 2009;
124(4):
e573 - e579.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
W. M. Vermeer, I. H. M. Steenhuis, and J. C. Seidell
Portion size: a qualitative study of consumers' attitudes toward point-of-purchase interventions aimed at portion size
Health Educ. Res.,
September 11, 2009;
(2009)
cyp051v1.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
M.-N. Nguyen, D. Larocque, D. Paquette, and A. Irace-Cima
Quebec breast cancer screening program: A study of the perceptions of physicians in Laval, Que
Can Fam Physician,
June 1, 2009;
55(6):
614 - 620.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A. H. Fein and N. S. Isaacson
Echoes of Columbine: The Emotion Work of Leaders in School Shooting Sites
American Behavioral Scientist,
May 1, 2009;
52(9):
1327 - 1346.
[Abstract]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
S. G. Smith and M. W. Firmin
School Nurse Perspectives of Challenges and How They Perceive Success in Their Professional Nursing Roles
The Journal of School Nursing,
April 1, 2009;
25(2):
152 - 162.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A. Liversage
Vital conjunctures, shifting horizons: high-skilled female immigrants looking for work
Work Employment Society,
March 1, 2009;
23(1):
120 - 141.
[Abstract]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A. L. C. Martiniuk, H. C. Millar, G. Malefoasi, P. Vergeer, T. Garland, and S. Knight
Cooperation, Integration, and Long-term Commitment: What Solomon Islanders and Development Workers Say About Health Sector Aid
Asia Pac J Public Health,
October 1, 2008;
20(4):
287 - 297.
[Abstract]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
W. H. Sherman
No Child Left Behind: A Legislative Catalyst for Superintendent Action to Eliminate Test-Score Gaps?
Educational Policy,
September 1, 2008;
22(5):
675 - 704.
[Abstract]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
R. D. Boss, N. Hutton, L. J. Sulpar, A. M. West, and P. K. Donohue
Values Parents Apply to Decision-Making Regarding Delivery Room Resuscitation for High-Risk Newborns
Pediatrics,
September 1, 2008;
122(3):
583 - 589.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
W. W. Muhwezi, E. S. Okello, S. Neema, and S. Musisi
Caregivers' Experiences With Major Depression Concealed by Physical Illness in Patients Recruited From Central Ugandan Primary Health Care Centers
Qual Health Res,
August 1, 2008;
18(8):
1096 - 1114.
[Abstract]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
M. Markovic, L. Manderson, and N. Warren
Endurance and contest: women's narratives of endometriosis
Health (London) ,
July 1, 2008;
12(3):
349 - 367.
[Abstract]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
N. D. Paiva
South Asian Parents' Constructions of Praising Their Children
Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry,
April 1, 2008;
13(2):
191 - 207.
[Abstract]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
L. Manderson, N. Warren, and M. Markovic
Circuit Breaking: Pathways of Treatment Seeking for Women With Endometriosis in Australia
Qual Health Res,
April 1, 2008;
18(4):
522 - 534.
[Abstract]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
J. Tjia, J. L. Givens, J. H. Karlawish, A. Okoli-Umeweni, and F. K. Barg
Beneath the surface: discovering the unvoiced concerns of older adults with Type 2 diabetes mellitus
Health Educ. Res.,
February 1, 2008;
23(1):
40 - 52.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
N. Wray, M. Markovic, and L. Manderson
"Researcher Saturation": The Impact of Data Triangulation and Intensive-Research Practices on the Researcher and Qualitative Research Process
Qual Health Res,
December 1, 2007;
17(10):
1392 - 1402.
[Abstract]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
K. V. Bletzer
Identity and Resilience Among Persons With HIV: A Rural African American Experience
Qual Health Res,
February 1, 2007;
17(2):
162 - 175.
[Abstract]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
R. Lee Nardo, L. A. Custodero, D. C. Persellin, and D. B. Fox
Looking Back, Looking Forward: A Report on Early Childhood Music Education in Accredited American Preschools
Journal of Research in Music Education,
January 1, 2006;
54(4):
278 - 292.
[Abstract]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
