Prompting questions are including as sub-questions and italicized. Interview #1
Prior to beginning interview protocol, review Informed Consent Form. Start Audio.
Interview Question
1. Tell me a little bit about yourself.
Section 1: Class background
2. I wanted to learn more about your life prior to arriving at [institution]. How would you describe your hometown and where you grew up?
3. Can you tell me about your family? Who is back home for you? a. What are their occupations?
4. When I use the term “class background,” what does that mean to you? How would you describe your class background?
5. Would you use the term working-class for your background? Why or why not? 6. Before coming to [institution], how often did you talk about class? In what
contexts?
7. Can you think of a close friend that you had during high school? What was their class background? How did you know?
8. Prior to applying to college, what had you heard about the process? From whom?
a. What types of support did you have in the college application process? b. What types of resources or support were available in your high
school?
Section 2: College Arrival and Class Awareness
9. How did you decide to attend college? Specifically, what made you apply and enroll at [institution]?
10. What was the transition like from [home] to [institution]?
a. What was familiar? Surprising or unfamiliar?
11. How would you describe the class backgrounds of other students at [institution]? How can you tell?
12. Can you think of a time that you interacted with a student from another class background? What was the interaction?
13. In what spaces is class discussed? How so? a. In academic spaces?
b. In co-curricular spaces or at work? c. In social spaces or with friends?
14. People often describe their social class as shaped by other identities they hold, such as race, gender, or ability. Do you see ways that your social class is shaped by other identities that you hold?
15. What was it like to be talking to me about social class?
16. Is there anything else you want me to know before we wrap up today that we didn’t get a chance to discuss? OR
Interview 2
Start Audio.
Interview Question
1. I wanted to start off by checking in about our first interview now that some time has passed. [Ask any follow up questions]. Do you have any thoughts that have come up since we spoke?
Section 3: Social Class Allyship
2. When I say the term ally, what does that mean to you? a. How familiar are you with allyship?
b. Where/how have you seen it applied before?
3. If I said “class ally” or “class allyship” to you, what does that mean?
4. One way that ally has been defined is a member with privilege g that works to challenge inequality by using the privilege that they have in a certain area. So, for a middle- or upper- class student, it could be working to change systems that benefit them but negatively impact students without the same class
privilege. This could be things like challenging financial aid that benefits merit over need or speaking out against curriculum that only focuses on perspectives of affluent students. Where do you see this definition align or contrast with how you defined a class ally?
5. Are there people or offices on campus you can think of that serve as class allies? If so, what specifically do they do?
6. Can you think of a time that a peer from a privileged class background has been an ally related to an issue involving social class? What was the issue and the resolution?
a. What was the impact on you?
7. Are there things that [institution] could do to be better allies to students from different class backgrounds?
a. Resources? b. In class?
c. In co-curricular activities?
Section 4: Sense of Belonging
8. Last time we met, I asked you about the transition to [institution] from home. Now that you are a [year in school], is that still true? Would you describe your experience the same way?
a. If not, what changed?
9. How connected do you feel on campus? To whom? a. In what spaces do you feel most connected? b. In what spaces do you feel least connected?
10. Do people on campus know your class background? If so, who knows? In what situations, has it come up?
11. How supportive do you feel like [institution] is to students from different class backgrounds?
a. Are there some spaces that are more supportive than others? If so,
what are they?
b. Do you feel like [institution] values working class students? Why or
why not?
12. One of the things I am interested in with this study is the idea of belonging, and who feels that they matter on campus. If I asked you if you feel like you belong at [institution], what would you say? Why?
a. Does class impact your sense of belonging?
b. Note: If a definition is needed, sense of belonging is defined as “students’ perceived social support on campus, a feeling or sensation of connectedness, the experience of mattering or feeling cared about, accepted, respected, valued by, and important to the group (e.g., campus community) or others on campus (e.g., faculty, peers)” (p. 3). 13. Earlier in the interview, we spoke about the idea of class allies and class
allyship and you mentioned [key points]. Do you feel that those behaviors impact your feeling of belonging? Why or why not?
Wrap Up. Review Member Checking