The rationale and the methodology used in a study of high school graduates' viewpoints on science-technology-society (STS) topics are reviewed in this paper. The study employed the instrument, Views on Science-Technology-Society (VOSTS), which required students to write an argumentative paragraph responding to one of 46 statements about an STS topic. The target population consisted of graduating high school students (N=10,800) throughout Canada. Responses from a stratified random sampling were analyzed by three researchers and the response categories were established from students' arguments in the paragraphs. This paper primarily focuses on the instrument's format and validity and the research issues associated with this type of study. Actual results of the study are reported in related papers. Implications of the study are discussed in terms of: (1) strategies to improve understanding of student views on STS topics; (2) research possibilities; and (3) ideas for classroom teachers. Appendices include parts of the student questionnaire and outlines of the topics used in VOSTS. Forty-eight references are included. (ML)