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to be between 20 and 30. However, while guided by this we may require exceptionally
considering a narrative research design which is based on a life story interview, where just 1 or
2 interviewees will be needed to accomplish the research.
However, Bryman (2012) argued that by no means all practitioners would agree with
Warren’s figure. This is because, Gerson and Horowitz (2002) cited in Bryman (2012), write that
‘fewer than 60 interviews cannot support convincing conclusions and more than 150 produce
too much material to analyze effectively and expeditiously’. Finally, what we can understand
from the differences of numerical suggestions is that how difficult it can be to try to specify
minimum sample sizes. In general, what is recommended is that; the size of the sample in
qualitative research should not be too small as it may result in difficulty in achieving data
saturation, and at the same time the size of the sample should not be too large as it may result
in difficulty in undertaking a deep analysis (Bryman, 2012).
CONCLUSION
There are ranges of opinion about obtaining appropriate sample sizes for qualitative research.
To this end researchers especially inexperienced or novice researchers are stuck with the issue
and puzzled about how to justify the sample size they defined before data collection. When we
sum up the review, though there are various suggestions and attempts in solving the problem,
what we found very important and guiding researchers especially less experienced researchers
is identifying and clearly defining factors that can contribute to the size of the sample.
Therefore, as per our study the decision on ‘How many’ is depended on several factors ranging
from the nature of the selected group; is it relatively homogeneous or heterogeneous, the scope
of the study, the nature of the topic, quality of data, the type of research design, the type of
research question, available resource, the time available, the domain of inquiry is diffuse or
vague, to, the experience of the researcher with qualitative research. Besides according to
(Bryman, 2012) it is also the orientation of the researchers and the purposes of their research
will be significant to decide on a justifiable sample size.
The issue of acceptable minimum sample size is also another issue that needs to be
considered while deciding on sample size. According to Warren (2002) cited in Brayman (2012),
for a qualitative interview study to be published, the minimum number of interviews required
seems to be between twenty and thirty. However, there are also different views concerning
minimum sample size, Gerson and Horowitz (2002) also recommended that interviews fewer
than 60 cannot support convincing conclusions and more than 150 produce too much material
to analyze effectively and expeditiously. Here what we understood from these scholars’
opinions is that there is no agreement even on the minimum requirement. However, as we able
to become certain from our review work is that, researches with a large and heterogeneous
sample are more likely to be published in notable leading journals.
Moreover, Bryman (2012) advised that, rather than relying on others’ impressions of
suitable sample sizes in qualitative research, researchers certainly better to be clear and