What is the purpose of using sampling techniques in research?

The purpose of using sampling techniques in research primarily centers around the need to make efficient and representative inferences about a larger population without the necessity of studying every individual or element within that population. When used effectively, sampling allows researchers to gather data that reflects the broader group's characteristics while minimizing time, effort, and expenses.

In this context, supporting the results of research data is achieved through sampling because it enables researchers to generalize findings from a smaller, carefully selected subset of individuals to the larger population. This inherently strengthens the validity of the outcomes when the sample is representative of the population.

The other options present related concepts, but they do not fully capture the central purpose of sampling as directly as the notion of supporting the results. Ensuring freedom from bias is an important consideration, but merely using sampling does not guarantee this; careful selection and methodology are essential to avoid bias. Similarly, while reducing costs is a practical benefit of sampling, it is not the primary objective. As for validating all data collected, sampling by definition does not validate every piece of data, as it focuses on a subset rather than complete data verification.