Diverse Methods for Research and Assessment of College Students

On today's rapidly changing college campuses, quantitative methods alone cannot give researchers, administrators, and student affairs professionals the depth of understanding they need to find why and how college students make their decisions. To address the diversity of race, age, sex, socioeconomic background, special needs, and student subcultures, new methods for learning about college students are needed.
This guide, originally published in 1992, explains how to use qualitative methods for studying college students. It provides an in-depth view of these effective approaches and techniques: non-reactive measures, case study, historical analysis, document analysis, ethnographic interviews, and focus groups. It demonstrates why it's so important to use diverse methods now and learn how to incorporate multiple methods to get a well-rounded and more complete picture of today's college students.

Frances K. Stage is Associate Dean for Research and Development and Associate Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Indiana University, Bloomington.