Tracing sampling in applied linguistics: the case of quantitative research approach

The popularity of research has opened some new doors to science and information. For this science to flourish, it requires sound and solid inference, which, in turn, is contingent upon proper sampling procedures. However, it is rare to find empirical studies that trace the use of sampling in research approaches. This review provides a hybrid analysis through quantitative and qualitative phases by examining the sampling implementation in 356 articles published in five top-tier journals of applied linguistics using a research synthesis approach. Our findings highlight the strengths and weaknesses of sampling conceptualization and implementation in the articles. The results show a high representation of convenience sampling in the dataset, with studies predominantly including adult participants from universities. Additionally, we found that most of the studies did not adhere to transparency, which is a crucial factor in shaping solid inference. Furthermore, an exploration of the limitation sections indicates that most of the studies did not report the reasons for or highlight challenges related to sampling drawbacks. We discuss methodological considerations and advocate for implementing justified and warranted sampling structures.