Best questions for middle school student survey about social emotional learning

Here are some of the best questions for a middle school student survey about social emotional learning, plus tips on how to craft them. You can instantly build your own survey on Specific and start getting deeper insights in seconds.

Best open-ended questions for middle school student survey about social emotional learning

Open-ended questions tap into honest student perspectives, exploring feelings and experiences in depth. These are most effective when you want to go beyond surface-level answers and truly understand how students feel or why they behave a certain way. Given the powerful connection between SEL programs and academic success—a meta-analysis of 213 school-based SEL interventions found an 11-percentile-point gain in achievement for participants compared to non-participants [1]—these questions are crucial for school progress and student growth.

1. Can you describe a time when you helped a classmate who was feeling upset or lonely?

2. What do you usually do when you feel stressed or overwhelmed at school?

3. How do you handle disagreements with friends or classmates?

4. Describe a moment when you felt proud of something you did at school this year.

5. What makes you feel safe and included during the school day?

6. If you could change one thing about how students treat each other at school, what would it be?

7. What helps you focus and learn best in class?

8. When was the last time you stood up for someone else? What happened?

9. How do you like to celebrate your achievements, big or small?

10. Who at school can you talk to when you have a problem? How does that person help you?

Best single-select multiple-choice questions for middle school student survey about social emotional learning

Single-select multiple-choice questions come in when you want structure—clear data you can quantify—without sacrificing the ability to spark meaningful follow-ups. They lower the mental load for students, letting you capture fast insights or start a deeper conversation. For instance, SEL participants in middle school report higher empathy, prosocial behaviors, and feelings of citizenship [2]. Multiple-choice questions help capture these dimensions efficiently.

Question: How often do you feel comfortable sharing your thoughts in class discussions?

• Always

• Most of the time

• Sometimes

• Rarely

• Never

Question: When you have a problem with another student, what do you usually do?

• Try to solve it myself

• Ask a friend for help

• Talk to a teacher or counselor

• Ignore it

• Other

Question: Which skill do you want to improve the most?

• Managing my emotions

• Making friends

• Solving problems

• Standing up for myself

• Other

When to followup with "why?" Asking "why?" after a choice deepens your understanding. For example, if a student selects "Ignore it" as their approach, a follow-up like, "Can you share a time when ignoring a problem worked or didn't work for you?" can reveal crucial context—helping discover needs or mindsets you’d otherwise miss.

When and why to add the "Other" choice? "Other" lets you capture answers outside of your assumptions. Sometimes students have experiences or needs we didn’t consider. A follow-up like, "Please describe your answer," opens the door to unexpected insights and opportunities for support.

NPS-type question for social emotional learning surveys

Net Promoter Score (NPS) is known for measuring loyalty and overall sentiment, and it can be adapted for social emotional learning with tremendous effect. By asking students how likely they are to recommend the school’s SEL program or initiatives, we get a singular, powerful pulse on community belonging and perceived value. The follow-up on why they chose their score unlocks actionable details for continuous improvement. To quickly get started, try this NPS survey template for middle school students about social emotional learning.

This hybrid approach—quantitative with qualitative follow-ups—yields a more robust, real-world view of SEL performance in your school.

The power of follow-up questions

Follow-up questions transform flat responses into rich conversations. Dynamic follow-ups—like those powered by Specific’s automatic AI follow-up feature—let you drill down right when it matters, as if a skilled interviewer was in the room. Automated followups also save hours chasing clarification by email, and respondents feel heard as the dialogue unfolds naturally.

Imagine this:

• Middle school student: “I feel stressed sometimes at school.”

• AI follow-up: “What usually makes you feel stressed? Are there times when you feel more relaxed?”

Without follow-ups, we’re left guessing about specifics—and that costs real insights.

How many followups to ask? Two to three targeted follow-up questions are usually enough for clarity, but not overwhelming. With Specific, you can set the exact number of followups or allow students to move on once the insight is clear. Flexibility boosts both response rates and depth.

This makes it a conversational survey: Each followup makes the survey feel less like a static form and more like an actual chat, increasing comfort and honesty.

AI-powered analysis: Analyzing responses—no matter how much text students write—is easier than ever, thanks to AI. See how to analyze survey responses with AI for instant, accurate insights.

If you’re curious, try generating your own dynamic survey with automated follow-ups and see how much richer your college student insights become.

How to write the perfect prompt for AI survey question generation

If you want AI like ChatGPT or Specific to suggest great survey questions, start simple and then add more detail for context. For initial brainstorming, you might use:

Suggest 10 open-ended questions for middle school student survey about social emotional learning.

If you want even better results, give the AI more. Try adding your goals, describing your school, or sharing what outcomes matter most to you:

I’m planning a survey for 7th and 8th graders at a public school to understand their social emotional learning experiences. We especially want to learn about peer relationships and stress management. Suggest 10 open-ended questions.

Next, ask the AI to group the questions by category to clarify your focus areas:

Look at the questions and categorize them. Output categories with the questions under them.

Finally, when you spot the most important categories, dive deeper with:

Generate 10 questions for categories peer relationships and stress management.

What is a conversational survey?

Conversational surveys are AI-driven chats that gather feedback in a way that feels natural, adaptive, and engaging—especially for students. Instead of a long, cold form, these surveys listen, follow up, and make each student’s answer count.

Compare traditional surveys to AI-generated ones:

Why use AI for middle school student surveys? AI survey tools don’t just speed up survey creation—they personalize it. The right follow-up helps you find out what students really mean, even if they start with a one-word answer. And since research shows that emotional intelligence and social emotional skills are strongly connected with grades [3], gathering honest, nuanced feedback is invaluable.

If you want to start from scratch or edit an AI-made survey, the AI survey generator and the AI survey editor make brainstorming and fine-tuning effortless. See this how-to create a social emotional learning survey guide to jump right in.

With Specific, conversational surveys mean better questions, higher quality answers, and a feedback process that feels smooth for both creators and students.

See this social emotional learning survey example now

Want to uncover deeper insights and foster a more positive school climate? Try a conversational survey built for middle school students and experience the benefits of instant AI-powered customization and effortless analysis.