{"id":646,"date":"2026-09-09T10:06:17","date_gmt":"2026-09-09T09:06:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.shu.ac.uk\/sotl\/?p=646"},"modified":"2026-09-09T10:06:17","modified_gmt":"2026-09-09T09:06:17","slug":"starting-with-the-why-five-questions-for-gathering-student-voices","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.shu.ac.uk\/sotl\/starting-with-the-why-five-questions-for-gathering-student-voices\/","title":{"rendered":"Starting with the Why: Five Questions for Gathering Student Voices"},"content":{"rendered":"

Starting with the Why: Five Questions for Gathering Student Voices<\/h1>\n
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\"SoTL@SHU<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Introduction<\/strong><\/mark><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Effective student voice activity begins with a clear purpose rather than an individual approach. This blog post summarises guidance developed by the Student Engagement Evaluation and Research (STEER) team to support modules, courses and Schools\/Institutes in selecting appropriate approaches to gathering student voices. We pose five simple questions to help guide these decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Figure 1: From \u2018Why\u2019 to \u2018How\u2019: five questions that can guide student voice activities. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Figure<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Why gather student voices?<\/mark><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Establishing the purpose of the data gathering first will inform what insights are needed and when and how they can be collected most appropriately. Avoid starting with the \u2018how\u2019 (methods-driven), which may result in a weak or unclear rationale for data collection and risk reducing the usefulness of the evidence produced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Figure 2<\/strong>: Clarifying the purpose of gathering student voices and the role students will play is an important first step.<\/strong> (image used with permission)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Figure<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The collation and analysis of students\u2019 perspectives and knowledge can be used for different purposes, such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n