Urval

Urval is a Swedish noun meaning the act of selecting from a set of possibilities or the result of that act. It is used in everyday language to refer to decisions about who or what to include or exclude, such as when choosing candidates for a job, products for a lineup, or items for analysis. In English, urval is typically translated as selection or sampling, depending on the context.

Etymology: The word is formed from the prefix ur- and val ("choice" or "selection"), with the sense of drawing from a larger pool. In Swedish usage, urval often emphasizes the act of choosing rather than the entire set of options.

Statistical usage: In statistics and research methodology, urval corresponds to "sample"—a subset of a population used for analysis. The concept contrasts with population, which denotes the entire group under study. Sampling methods include random sampling, stratified sampling, and cluster sampling, each designed to produce representative urval for inference.

Practical usage: In human resources, education, or market research, the urval process refers to screening and selecting individuals or items according to predefined criteria. Transparency and fairness in the urval process are considered important to avoid bias and to justify decisions.

See also: val, ur, selection, sampling.

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