An Evaluation of the Boundary Spanner Project: A mental wellbeing initiative at St Mary’s University
In 2024, Transforming Access and Student Outcomes in Higher Education () – an independent hub for the higher education sector, providing evidence and resources to help reduce equality gaps – published a highlighting that nearly one in five students (18%) experienced mental health difficulties in the UK, and mental health was identified as the most commonly cited reason for students leaving higher education (Sanders and Ellingwood, 2025). Remarkably, the report estimated that roughly 300,000 undergraduate students in the UK could be reporting mental health difficulties – a rate that has tripled over the last seven years.
Introducing the Boundary Spanner Project
In pursuit of its mission to close equality gaps in higher education, TASO selected and funded two universities to participate in a project that evaluates student mental health and the wellbeing interventions they deliver, with the aim being to explore their impact. Using theory-based evaluation methods, TASO look to ultimately provide robust evidence on the current landscape of mental health amongst higher education students. To achieve this, TASO commissioned to perform an evaluation of the wellbeing project held at St Mary’s University, London: the ‘Boundary Spanner’ Project.
Describing the interventions
Co-created by , Senior Lecturer in Sociology of Sports and Sports Development and Howard Bateman, the project aims to support the mental wellbeing of students from widening participation (WP) groups by running two initiatives, targeting different WP groups, ‘Reprezent Health’ and ‘Hang Out and paint’.
Reprezent Health targets individuals from diverse ethnic backgrounds as well as commuters from low-income areas studying sports courses. Sessions are typically run twice a week in the Performance Education Suite (PEC) during term time. Reprezent Health offers students an opportunity to not only partake in physical training but engage in insightful conversations with peers, academics and wellbeing staff. Participants are invited to discuss topics impacting their welfare, such as academic overwhelm, time management and their integration into the St Mary’s community.
Hang out and Paint sessions run weekly and last for two hours, allowing participants to drop in at any point during this period. Here, various creative activities are put on including watercolour on canvas, miniature painting and dexterity-based crafting. Both initiatives are designed to promote a safe environment for students to vocalise their feelings, forge new connections, foster a stronger sense of belonging and develop awareness of the services available.
Becoming a Peer Researcher
In early 2025 I joined Bath SDR as a researcher to support the project and help conduct qualitative interviews as part of the study. To evaluate the Boundary Spanner project, Bath SDR used the Qualitative Impact Protocol (QuIP) - an eclectic theory-based evaluation approach draws on aspects of multiple methods, including process tracing, contribution analysis, most significant change and realist evaluation.
A qualitative method designed to assess change, QuIP collects and examines narrative accounts from intended beneficiaries of development programmes about significant drivers of change in their lives. For example: Did a particular intervention make a difference, and if so, how and for whom? What other factors have affected participants’ wellbeing?
The method is fundamentally driven by what has caused change in one’s life over a defined period. In many ways, the QuIP presents real-time feedback on whether the social impact of a programme has been effective. The QuIP questionnaire uses open-ended, exploratory questions to assess perceived change and subsequently, the outcomes of those changes. These ‘stories of change’ are then coded using a causal mapping approach that centres on drivers, outcomes and attribution.
My role as a researcher for Bath SDR involved conducting 14 QuIP interviews – 11 with participants attending the Reprezent Health intervention and 3 with the coaches. Notably, I held a unique vantage point as a peer researcher. This approach meant that the evaluation benefitted from the contextual knowledge that I had as a current St Mary’s PhD candidate. This was a conscious decision by the commissioners to ensure that interviewees felt comfortable enough to disclose authentic experiences and draw on a shared understanding of the University.
What students told me
From my perspective, interviewing fellow students proved to be an enriching and compelling experience, giving me the opportunity to capture diverse perspectives ranging from regular attendees to those who have been involved in the recruitment, marketing and administrative aspects of the programme. Gathering each participant’s purpose and motivation to attend the programme was particularly fulfilling. For some, the weekly sessions provided structure to their routines whereas for others, the sense of belonging helped them settle into life as a St Mary’s student. Listening to the participants discuss the programme in such a positive light by identifying its strengths and benefits is a testament to the work done by Michael, Howard and the coaches.
The value of peer research
In my role as a peer researcher, I was able to build a strong rapport with participants by drawing on mutual interests and shared experiences. I was able to engage in discussions related to education, music, travel, and sport. As a former undergraduate student at St Mary’s, my familiarity with the demands of academic work and social gatherings helped build an immediate rapport with the participants. I could relate to interviewees who travel to university through a similar route to me. For example, the challenges that come with commuting and shared interest in sport. my personal and academic investment in fitness
On the one hand, as a PhD candidate at St Mary’s, my doctoral project focuses on the landscape of masculinity, particularly the online fitness space. My research critically examines the evolving performances of masculinity and male embodiment within contemporary fitness culture, a domain increasingly influential in shaping societal perceptions of gender. Building on a growing area in social science, my research blends both sociology and psychology to investigate gendered identity in the fitness space through a psychoanalytical lens. On the other hand, as someone who engages with fitness as a hobby, my familiarity with training regimes and fitness vernacular proved to be useful in gathering the insights of interviewees. Prior knowledge in this area meant that I could dive deep into a conversation about their fitness lifestyles. For instance, my understanding of rehabilitation allowed some interviewees to discuss their personal injuries in detail as well as the importance of the gym in their recovery. Finally, my use of informal and colloquial language – speaking in a similar way to the students – helped remove the tension in the room and allowed them to perceive me as a peer rather than as a figure of authority.
What I learned as a researcher
In working closely with colleagues at Bath SDR, I learnt how to effectively optimise the flexibility of the QuIP approach, adapting my interviewing style to meet the requirements of each participant through fine-tuning aspects such as tone, delivery of questions, body language, timing, and at times, being comfortable with silence. The flexibility of the QuIP method was particularly helpful in building a strong rapport with neurodiverse respondents. Firstly, it allowed me to rephrase questions in real time; some respondents benefitted from a simplified and more direct question, whereas others seemed to prefer open-ended prompts to trigger their thought processes. I could also manage the pace of the interview to give the respondent enough time to process information and then share their thoughts. One student praised my interviewing style, highlighting the time I had given them to respond and actively listening to their responses. I noticed the gradual progression through our interview as they slowly came out of their shell and engaged with me. In some ways, it felt as though the interview was being guided collectively with me just adapting my questioning to mirror the respondents thought process.
Why this work matters
Throughout this project, the QuIP method has advanced my ability to perform semi-structured interviews. Focusing on causal narratives demands strong listening skills and accurate probing techniques. The open-ended questions, supplemented with probing queries, provided a good balance between fluidity and structure that allowed me to dictate the direction of the conversation while maximising participant autonomy. In interviewing these participants, the QuIP method has taught me how to trace causal pathways by focusing on outcomes and subsequently, working backwards to identify the most significant drivers of change. This reversed approach helped me build a detailed picture of the casual narratives; I feel that working backwards proved to be crucial in understanding the extent of change and the precise factors involved in mobilising those changes. Meanwhile, my interviews with the coaches reinforced the strengths of the intervention as they enjoyed observing the physical transformation of participants, their growth in confidence, self-esteem and social skills. Overall, the intervention reflects the promising steps that St Mary’s are taking to address the challenges of student life and mental wellbeing.