Understanding Student Experience Through Conversational Research
How Westover School partnered with Nesolagus to uncover authentic student voices on belonging, identity, and school culture.
The Challenge
What Westover School was facing
Understanding Student Experience
Traditional climate surveys weren't capturing the nuanced experiences of students navigating identity, belonging, and school culture at an all-girls boarding school.
Faculty Development Needs
Leadership needed data-driven insights to inform professional development, particularly around code-switching awareness, classroom belonging, and equitable rule enforcement.
Authentic Student Voice
The school wanted to hear directly from students in their own words—not just checkbox responses—to understand the 'why' behind their experiences.
The Solution
A conversational approach to student voice
Our Approach
We deployed the Nesolagus conversational research framework—a chat-style survey that feels like a conversation, not an interrogation. Students could skip questions, share stories, and engage authentically while we captured both quantitative metrics and qualitative narratives.
Methodology
- 56-block conversational survey with branching logic
- 11 theme areas covering belonging, safety, voice, and identity
- Mixed-methods analysis combining scales with narrative coding
- Anonymous participation to encourage honest responses
- GIF-based engagement moments to maintain warmth
- Skip options respecting student agency
Deliverables
- 1Interactive Warren Dashboard with real-time data
- 2Student Segment Analysis (6 experience-based personas)
- 3Comprehensive Listening Tour Report
- 4Faculty Professional Development recommendations
- 5Narrative themes with coded student quotes
- 6Survey quality assessment (86/100 score)
Key Findings
What students told us
Students feel most authentic with friends
Report adjusting behavior to be respected
Ranked below residential and social spaces
'Depends on the adult' most common response
Students feel most authentic with friends and in dorm rooms, but classroom ranked as one of the lowest spaces for authenticity.
67% of students report adjusting their behavior, speech, or appearance to be taken seriously or respected at school.
Most students have at least one trusted adult, but rule enforcement varies widely "depending on the adult."
This data isn't just numbers—it's a roadmap for how we can better serve our students. The conversational approach gave us insights we never would have gotten from a traditional survey. We now have actionable direction for our January professional development session.
Impact & Next Steps
Turning insights into action
Presenting findings to all faculty with actionable recommendations
Experience-based personas to guide targeted support strategies
Real-time data exploration for continued insight discovery
Recommended Actions
- - Share findings at Jan 9 PD
- - Address food services concerns
- - Align faculty on rule enforcement
- - Develop classroom belonging strategies
- - Train faculty on code-switching awareness
- - Create student voice feedback loops
- - Reimagine "Westover Girl" narrative
- - Expand curriculum representation
- - Follow-up survey to measure progress
What Made This Work
The Nesolagus difference
Conversational Design
Chat-style interface achieves 54% higher completion vs traditional surveys
Mixed Methods
Quantitative scales + qualitative narratives = complete picture
Trauma-Informed
Skip options, pacing rules, and GIFs create psychological safety
Interested in This Approach?
The Nesolagus framework can help your school uncover authentic student voice and transform data into actionable strategy.
Nesolagus
Conversational Research Platform
Case Study - 2025 - Westover School Project