- Design surveys to capture diverse and evolving student experiences through iterative, relational processes embedded within institutional trust and governance.
- Prioritise confidentiality, safety and transparency, with clear follow-up to avoid impersonal or extractive data practices.
- Foster student collaboration, reciprocity and accountability using student-centred engagement strategies that ensure relevance and meaningful action.
J Am Coll Health. 2026 Nov 5:1-10. doi: 10.1080/07448481.2026.2756267. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Post-secondary institutions increasingly rely on large-scale mental health surveys to inform policy and resource allocation, yet low engagement raises questions about these surveys as institutional data practices.
PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: Using qualitative descriptive design informed by reflexive thematic analysis, six virtual focus groups were conducted with 70 undergraduate and graduate students from eight Canadian post-secondary institutions who reflected on experiences with mental health surveys.
RESULTS: Four interconnected themes emerged: (1) capturing diverse and evolving student experiences; (2) ensuring confidentiality, safety, and transparency, (3) fostering collaboration, reciprocity, and accountability, and (4) using student-centered engagement strategies. Through interpretive analysis, these findings informed preliminary student-informed framework positioning surveys as relational and iterative processes embedded within systems of trust, governance, and accountability.
CONCLUSIONS: Students perceived mental health surveys as valuable but often impersonal or extractive when relevance, transparency, and follow-through were limited. These findings informed a proposed framework for future implementation and evaluation.
PMID:42988761 | DOI:10.1080/07448481.2026.2756267
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