Definition
Random sample
A sample selected by chance so every member of the target population has a known chance of selection.
What it means
Use a chance method, not personal choice, to decide who or what enters the sample. This helps avoid always choosing the easiest or most noticeable members. The list or method must still give the whole target population a real chance to be chosen.
Remember it
Let chance choose from the whole target group.
Example
A school numbers all 360 learner records from 1 to 360. A random-number tool selects 30 different numbers, so every learner had a chance to enter the sample.
Watch for
Taking the first 30 names on the list is not a random sample because their positions, not chance, decide who is chosen.
Common mix-up
Random selection helps a sample be representative, but one random sample can still be uneven just by chance.
Exact meaning
A random sample is selected by a probability method that gives every member of the target population a known, non-zero chance of being chosen.