1421: An Exploratory Study Into Female Students\'

¶ … 1421: an exploratory study into female students' attitudes and behaviors toward binge drinking at Leeds University" by Carpenter et al. was to understand the perceptions of 12 female college students' attitudes toward binge drinking (2007, 8). Literature on the subject was rarely mentioned, aside from the citation of a few statistics regarding frequency of college-age female binge drinking, which served to support the undertaking of the study by Carpenter et al. (2007, 8). Participants were 12 female college students, and the tests took place in a university setting (Carpenter et al., 2007, 8). Tests took the form of two focus groups where, rather than given questionnaires, unstructured discussions were facilitated (Carpenter et al., 2007, 9) Both discussions were tape recorded and immediately transcribed afterwards (Carpenter et al., 2007, 9). Data analysis was thematic, the researchers looking for and emphasizing key points and themes that existed for all participants (Carpenter et al., 2007, 9). Researchers played the roles of observers, and data was validated using observer triangulation and theory triangulation.

"Behavior of College Women: a quantitative study of alcohol consumption and sexual experiences among college-aged women" by Wiley & Catizone was aimed at exploring the relationship between college-age women's drinking habits and sexual behavior (2007, 1). It predicted that the more alcohol consumed, the more promiscuous the college-age female will be. Wiley & Catizone used existing literature to both define and explore possible hypotheses (females binge drink to cope with the stress of the experience of going through college, females binge drink to "drink like the guys can," etc.) and give reasoning for the study's function ("alcohol has led to some substantial negative effects on these women") (2007, 2-7). Through many statistics regarding the frequency of heavy drinking among college-age females and the ways in which it negatively affects their lives, the study justifies its relevance (Wiley & Catizone, 2007, 2-7). The study was conducted by distributing a 32-question quantitative survey to a sample of 169 female students at the University of New Hampshire (Wiley & Catizone, 2007, 8). The survey's data was almost entirely based on Likert scores to multiple choice questions (Wiley & Catizone, 2007, 8-9). The researchers played minimal roles, merely analyzing the collected data and trying to control for internal and external validity. Data was analyzed using a number of ANOVA and chi square tests and was validated by comparing it to past research findings (Wiley & Catizone, 2007, 15-19, 21).