ABSTRACT
At Imperial College London, institutional policy to promote inclusivity and student agency has been informed by targeted research on students’ sense of belonging. Since 2019, the authors’ ongoing longitudinal “Belonging, Engagement, and Community” study, conducted across all faculties and course levels at Imperial, has utilized mixed methods approaches, including novel qualitative methods, to collect data from approximately 850 Imperial students. These methods include open and closed questionnaire responses, traditional semistructured interviews, and walking interviews. In this chapter, the authors focus on the novelty of the walking interviews and how this method provides a unique understanding of students’ sense of belonging at university. The nature of the walking interview positions the participant as the leader of the interview, to take the interviewer to the places and spaces important in their daily experience as a university student. This chapter provides valuable insight into the utility of the walking interviews method for understanding student experiences of belonging on campus. The authors also share insights from their collaborations across Imperial and reflections about the efforts being made to change cultures and practices at the institutional level.
