Kokonaisnäytteenotto

Kokonaisnäytteenotto is a Finnish term that translates to "total sampling" or "comprehensive sampling." It refers to a method of collecting data or samples where the entire population or all relevant units are included in the study. This approach aims to gather complete information without relying on statistical inference drawn from a smaller subset.

In practice, kokonaisnäytteenotto is most feasible when dealing with smaller, well-defined populations. For example, a census of a small village or an inventory of all items in a specific stockroom would be examples of total sampling. The advantage of this method is that it provides exact figures and eliminates sampling error, as there is no subset to represent the whole.

However, kokonaisnäytteenotto is often impractical or impossible for larger populations due to significant costs, time constraints, and logistical challenges. In such cases, researchers typically resort to sampling techniques where a representative subset of the population is selected to make inferences about the entire group. The decision to use kokonaisnäytteenotto depends heavily on the scale of the population and the resources available for data collection. It is a method that prioritizes completeness over efficiency when possible.