51³Ô¹ÏÍø

If you're looking for more in-depth information about how students experience a sense of belonging, interviews can be very helpful.

We've created a sample interview protocol that you might use if you want to get a better understanding of the types of things that influence students’ sense of belonging, beyond and including the topics addressed in the questionnaire items here [link]. Plan for a minimum of 30-45 minutes for each interview, especially if you include all of the questions we recommend here. If you would like some tips on conducting an interview, 

If you want, you can adapt the context of the interview to your specific department or course. Simply enter the name of your course or department where it says “51³Ô¹ÏÍø” in this example.

Interview protocol: Sense of belonging at 51³Ô¹ÏÍø

1. What does it mean to feel ‘at home’ somewhere? How does that feeling apply to your experience at 51³Ô¹ÏÍø?
2. Can you tell me about a time when you felt a real sense that you belonged at 51³Ô¹ÏÍø? What was that like for you? Can you describe it?
3. (Ask this question if this student has not had the positive experience of belonging in Question 1 above):
   Can you tell me about a time when you when you really didn't feel like you belonged at 51³Ô¹ÏÍø?
4. What could someone see about you that would show them that you felt like you belonged?
5. Are there any ways that 51³Ô¹ÏÍø could change to make you feel like you belong even more? Tell me about those ways.
6. In what ways are students important for creating a sense of belonging at 51³Ô¹ÏÍø? In what ways are staff important for creating a sense of belonging at 51³Ô¹ÏÍø?
7. What are differences in the ways that students and staff contribute to making 51³Ô¹ÏÍø a place where you feel like you belong?
8. What does it look like when people at 51³Ô¹ÏÍø respect each other? What about when they're not?