Description

The Need for Relatedness at College Questionnaire (NRC-Q) is a tool that assesses the emotional connection and social interaction needs of university students. The revised version of the NRC-Q has been modified to examine more closely students’ need for social connection and support within the university environment.
The scale includes questions that assess:
Sense of Belonging: The feeling of being part of social groups or communities at the university.
Support: The perception of adequate emotional and social support from peers, professors, and other students.
Social Interaction: The quality and frequency of social interactions and relationships students engage in.
Tolerance and Emotional Connection: The student’s ability to emotionally connect with others and to feel understood and accepted.

Need for Relatedness at College Questionnaire – Revised Version [NRC-Q / AQ-12]

Description

The Need for Relatedness at College Questionnaire (NRC-Q) – Revised Version [AQ-12] is an instrument designed to assess students’ need for emotional connection, social interaction, and support within the university environment. The revised version places greater emphasis on students’ experiences of social connectedness and support in college.

Main Dimensions

The questionnaire examines several key areas:

Sense of Belonging – feeling part of social groups or communities at university.

Support – perceived emotional and social support from peers, instructors, and other students.

Social Interaction – the quality and frequency of interpersonal relationships.

Emotional Connection and Acceptance – the ability to connect emotionally with others and experience understanding and acceptance.

Aim

The main aim of the NRC-Q Revised Version is to assess students’ need for relatedness and social connection and to examine how these experiences are associated with psychological well-being, academic performance, sense of belonging, and perceived support.

Data Analysis and Scoring

Psychometric analysis may include Cronbach’s alpha for internal consistency, factor analysis to identify the main dimensions of relatedness, and correlations with psychological well-being, academic achievement, and social satisfaction.

Responses are typically provided using Likert-type or similar rating scales. Total or dimensional scores can be calculated to represent different aspects of students’ need for connection and support.

Applications

The NRC-Q can be used in educational and social psychology, particularly in research on student engagement, university adjustment, social integration, psychological well-being, and academic experience.

Conclusions

The NRC-Q Revised Version [AQ-12] provides a structured way to assess how connected, supported, and accepted students feel within the university environment. It may be useful for understanding the role of relatedness in students’ academic and psychosocial adjustment.

References

Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The “what” and “why” of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11(4), 227–268.

Baumeister, R. F., & Leary, M. R. (1995). The need to belong: Desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation. Psychological Bulletin, 117(3), 497–529.