You can use Entity SQL for this without typing the query itself:
IEnumerable<object> GetFieldValues<T>(DbContext context, string fieldName)
where T : class
{
var oc = ((IObjectContextAdapter)context).ObjectContext;
ObjectQuery<T> q = oc.CreateObjectSet<T>();
return q.Select("it." + fieldName)
.AsEnumerable()
.Select(x => x[0]);
}
The trick is that an ObjectSet (the predecessor, sort of, or DbSet) can easily be cast to an ObjectQuery, which is the base of Entity SQL. By default, the command text uses "it" as alias for the table in the query, so if you want the value of one specific field, you must prefix it by the alias, and there you go.
The Select returns a DbDataRecord. The first value from this record is returned.
The advantage of this method over others is that it only queries the requested field from the database.
Of course, if you know the type of the field in question up front, you can make a strong-typed version of this method.