TIP: How to determine a sample size for studying your informal education program

How to determine a sample size for studying your informal learning program

What’s important to consider when selecting a sample size, or participant group size, for studying your informal (science) education program?  What value does a small sample size have?  If program managers have ample resources for collecting a lot of data, what factors are important to consider? 

Here is a collection of guidelines and examples for use in making an informed decision about determining the sample size for studying your informal learning program.  To design a study whose findings are more authentic and useful, make the sample group as representative as possible of the population that you want to know about.  Then, look at what museum researchers and social scientists recommend.