College of Education and Human Development

Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development

Richard Krueger

  • Professor Emeritus

Richard Krueger

Areas of interest

Qualitative research
Evaluation studies
Focus group interviewing
Use of stories in research

I believe in the power of stories. I have spent much of my career listening to people tell their stories in focus groups and individual interviews. People's stories have made me laugh, made me cry, made me angry, and kept me awake. Quantitative data have never once led me to shed a tear or spend a sleepless night. Numbers may appeal to my head, but they don't grab my heart. I believe that if you want people to do something with your evaluation findings, you have to snatch their attention, and one way to do that is through stories."
—R. Krueger, 2015 in “Using Stories in Evaluation”

Degrees

Ph.D., University of Minnesota, Educational Research Methods
M.A., University of Minnesota, Public Affairs
B.A., Bethel College, History

Biography

Profile

Richard Krueger is professor emeritus at the University of Minnesota. He is a recognized authority on the use of focus group interviewing within the public environment. He has written seven books, authored many journal articles and lectured throughout the world. In addition, he is a former president of the American Evaluation Association. He holds a PhD degree in research methods and holds academic appointments in education, epidemiology, and public health. Although trained as a quantitative researcher, he was drawn to qualitative research and has spent the past thirty years learning about, practicing, and teaching qualitative research. He served as the Evaluation Leader and Professor for the University of Minnesota Extension Service from 1981 to 2005. Since 2005 he has held a number of appointments at the University of Minnesota and in other Universities. In his spare time, he repairs his motor scooters, swaps stories with friends, and shops for tools at the local hardware store. Maybe you’ve seen him there. 

Website

Appointments

  • Professor Emeritus, OLPD, College of Education
  • Professor Emeritus, School of Public Health
  • Visiting Professor University of Michigan, Summer Institute in Survey Research
  • Visiting Professor, University of South Florida, School of Public Health.
  • Visiting Professor, University of Hawaii, College of Education.
  • Visiting Professor, University of Alaska, College of Education.
  • Evaluation Leader and Professor, University of Minnesota Extension Service

International Invited Lectures and Presentations

  • University of Galway, Ireland.  2013.
  • Swedish Adult Education Retreat, Stockholm. 2010 & 2012.
  • University of Geneva Sociological Conference, Geneva. 2008.
  • Kelly Evaluation Research Conference, Kingston, Ontario. 2004.     
  • Joanneum Research Conference, Vienna. 2004.
  • Austrian Evaluation Society. 2004.
  • United Nations Evaluation Unit, NYC. 2003.
  • International Evaluation Association, Lima, Peru. 2003.
  • Rod Laird Associates, London. 2000.
  • New Zealand Evaluation Society, 1999.
  • Audit Victoria, Melbourne. 1998.
  • The World Bank, Washington DC.  1998-2000.
  • Inter-American Development Bank, Washington DC.  1997.
  • University of Prince Edward Island. 1996.
  • World Vision International. 1996.
  • Ministry of Agriculture, Alberta, Canada. 1993.
  • Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim. 1988.

Professional Affiliations

  • American Evaluation Association
  • Minnesota Evaluation Association
  • Qualitative Research Consultants Association
  • Minnesota Qualitative Research Consultants
Publications

Krueger, R.A. & Casey, M.A. (2015). “Focus Group Interviewing.” A chapter in The Handbook of Practical Program Evaluation, 4rd edition. Edited by: J. Wholey, H. Hattry, and K. Newcomer. Josey-Bass: San Francisco.

Krueger, R.A. (2015). “Using Stories in Evaluation.” A chapter in The Handbook of Practical Program Evaluation, 4rd edition. Edited by: J. Wholey, H. Hattry, and K. Newcomer. Josey-Bass: San Francisco.

Krueger, R.A. & Casey, M.A. (2015). Focus Groups: A Practical Guide for Applied Research.  5rd Edition. Sage Publishing, Thousand Oaks, CA.

Krueger, R.A. (1998). Developing Questions for a Focus Group. Sage Publishing, Thousand Oaks, CA.

Krueger, R.A. (1998). Moderating Focus Groups. Sage Publishing, Thousand Oaks, CA.

Krueger, R.A. (1998). Analyzing and Reporting Focus Group Results.  Sage Publishing, Thousand Oaks, CA.

Krueger, R.A.& King, J.A. (1998).  Involving Community Members in Focus Groups. Sage Publishing, Thousand Oaks, CA.