The population frame is a listing of all the elements in the population from which the sample is drawn. The payroll of an organization would serve as the population frame if its members are to be studied. Likewise the university registry containing a listing of all students, faculty, administrators and support staff in the university during a particular academic year or semester could serve as the population frame for a study of university population. A roster of class students could be the population frame for the study of students in a class. The telephone directory is also frequently used as a population frame for some types of studies even though it has an inherent bias in as much as some numbers are unlisted and certain other may have become obsolete.
Although the population frame is useful in providing a listing of each element in the population, it may not always be a current, updated document. For instance the names of members who have recently left the organization or dropped out of the university, as well as members who have only recently joined the organization or the university may not appear in the organization's payroll or the university registers on a given day.
Although the population frame is useful in providing a listing of each element in the population, it may not always be a current, updated document. For instance the names of members who have recently left the organization or dropped out of the university, as well as members who have only recently joined the organization or the university may not appear in the organization's payroll or the university registers on a given day.