CHAPTER THREE – Research Primary research methods utilized in this campaign were an online survey and a focus group. Themes of each method of data collection centered around how and why students become interested in certain subjects, and, in turn, what leads them to enroll in certain classes, majors, or minors. Online survey: After basic screening questions regarding gender and year in school were answered, respondents were asked to say if they had heard of the WGS program at Elon and which classes (in a list provided) they would be interested in taking. We decided the survey would be the most effective way to gather information from our participants because it could be e-mailed out and sent to a targeted group more reflective of our audience. Also, a survey can gather a considerable amount of factual data in an efficient and comprehensive way that is easier to interpret than an interview or asking questions to a large group. Focus group: Participants in the focus group were asked questions that provided more qualitative data than the survey. Why people choose certain majors and minors, the usefulness of minors, the most important issue regarding women today, what it would take for people to choose a WGS minor, and why people may be reluctant to minor in WGS at Elon were the questions asked in order to analyze how people perceive the subject matter of the WGS minor and how they respond to it.
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