Discovering Student Needs

T HIS study was undertaken in 1939-40 as a part of the participation of Olivet College in the Cooperative Study in General Education. Interest in the study grew out of the belief that a college curriculum should be based upon the of students. Ns eeds were considered as being closely tied in with college objectives. A need according to the definition set up is the difference between the student's present stage of development and that stage of development which the professors hope that he will attain during his college career. These may be stated in terms of what the student should know, what skills he should develop, what attitudes and appreciation he should have. The purpose of this investigation was to secure information, insights, and clews about students' needs from an analysis of the activities, interests, problems, and experiences of students and former students; and to serve as one form of evaluation of the curriculum of the college. It is hoped that the data thus gathered not only will prove helpful in curriculum planning and student counseling, but also will reveal possibilities for further study. Consequently, the study was planned so that the students and former students could indicate teaching methods which were or were not stimulating. Opportunity was provided for them to indicate subject-matter courses which were helpful, other college experiences which they considered valuable, and experiences or courses which they now wish that they had had while in college. Two limitations of the study were clearly recognized: That only one of many possible methods of securing information about students' needs was being used, and that since students' needs tend to fluctuate with changing social and economic conditions, studies of needs should be repeated from time to time. After due consideration of available finances, the scattering of former students, available time, and the like, the questionnaire method was adopted despite the limitations inherent in the assumptions upon which all questionnaire studies are based: that the items in the questionnaire will elicit the desired information, and that the respondent can and will answer all questions truthfully. It was possible to check the validity of many of the items answered by the present student body, but lack of time and finances made it impossible to carry out an extensive check on the validity of the

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