Friendship as method: reflections on a new approach to understanding student experiences in higher education

ABSTRACT

This article reflects on a novel method to elicit understanding of students’ journeys. At a time when universities need to know much more about their students, sector understanding runs the risk of being limited and rather shallow. Knowledge tends to rely on broad-brush descriptions of student life derived from surveys, questionnaires and student voice committees whilst conventional qualitative research methods into student experiences have has limitations. ‘Harder listening’ to student voices offers the opportunity to understand everyday student life better. Taking inspiration from StoryCorps in the USA and BBC Radio 4’s The Listening Project, student friendship pairs undertake recorded, private, guided conversations without a researcher present. Conventional ‘friendship’ research fails to use ‘friendship trust’ between participantsto unlock experiences. Ten pairs of students based at a large university in the North of England participated. Analysis of the conversations suggests that happiness, confidence and a sense of belonging at university are significantly affected by the role and presence of friends and family. Through their engagement with and reflection on this method, students reveal familiarity with being ‘under-heard’ and over-surveyed and welcome this approach as a sign of a caring and ‘listening university’.

KEYWORDS:

• listening
• friendship
• conversations
• qualitative research
• authenticity
• experience

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. BBC Radio 4, The Listening Project: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01cqx3b; StoryCorps: https://storycorps.org/.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Emma Heron

Emma Heron is the Head of Teaching, Learning and Assessment in the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities at Sheffield Hallam University. She leads on various areas, including student voice, co-creation of assessment and feedback, student engagement and technology-enhanced learning. Her research focuses on the student experience of higher education and, in particular, listening to genuine student voice. Her current work includes leading on university-wide research, gathering student voices through her Listening Rooms methodology and social science students’ motivations around work placement experiences. Her teaching focuses on helping students make successful transitions into, through and out of higher education. She has been an academic adviser for many years and has recently been externally accredited for this role. She leads on a work placement module for social science students and is currently undertaking external accreditation for the development of employability in the HE curriculum. She is an external examiner for workplace learning.