What are some examples of good open‑ended questions to use in motivational interviewing in schools?

May 5

5 min read

Open‑ended questions are a core skill in motivational interviewing in schools (OARS) because they invite students to tell their story in their own words rather than answering with a yes or no. The right questions help teachers, counselors, and other educators understand what is really going on and gently draw out students’ own reasons to change.

What makes a question “good” in motivational interviewing?

In motivational interviewing for teachers and school counselors, a good open‑ended question usually does three things:

It starts with “what,” “how,” or “tell me about,” which keeps answers open.
It shows genuine curiosity rather than setting up a lecture.
It nudges toward the student’s thoughts, feelings, and values, not just the facts.

In Motivational Interviewing: Helping People Change and Grow, 4th edition (Miller & Rollnick), open‑ended questions are described as key tools for engaging, focusing, and evoking change talk, especially when paired with reflections and affirmations. MICA and other coding systems look for a healthy balance of open questions and reflections, with an overall emphasis on listening rather than interrogating.

Below are school‑specific examples you can adapt.

Questions to build understanding and trust

These questions help you get the lay of the land and show that you are interested in the student’s experience.

“How have things been going for you at school lately?”
“What is a typical day like for you, from waking up to when you get home?”
“What has been the hardest part about school for you this term?”
“What are some things at school that you actually like or appreciate, even a little?”

Each of these invites more than a yes/no answer and sets you up to use reflections. This aligns with guidance that open questions should be used to build understanding before you focus on change.

Questions that gently explore problems

Once you have some rapport, you can ask questions that explore specific concerns such as attendance, engagement, or behavior.

Attendance:

“What happens on the mornings when you do not make it to school?”
“When you think about the days you do come, what is different about those mornings?”

Class engagement:

“How do you feel during this class most of the time?”
“What makes it easier or harder for you to participate here?”

Behavior:

“What usually leads up to you getting sent out of class?”
“When you look back on what happened, what stands out most to you?”

These questions mirror common MI examples that ask about sequences, contexts, and patterns rather than “why did you do that,” which tends to trigger defensiveness.

Questions that draw out change talk (DARN)

Some open‑ended questions are designed specifically to invite change talk, using the DARN framework: Desire, Ability, Reasons, Need.

Desire:

“What would you like to be different about school by the end of this year?”
“How would you like things to be with your attendance, if you could choose?”

Ability:

“What strengths do you have that could help you with this?”
“When you have pulled yourself out of a tough spot before, what helped?”

Reasons:

“What are some good things that might come from making this change?”
“If this problem were less of an issue, how would your life be different?”

Need:

“What worries you most about how things are going right now?”
“What feels like it really needs to change so this does not keep getting worse?”

These types of questions help students generate their own arguments for change, which MI outcome studies directly tie to better follow‑through.

Questions for scaling and confidence

Scaling questions can be powerful in motivational interviewing in schools because they fit into brief conversations and invite both information and change talk.

“On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is ‘not at all important,’ and 10 is ‘extremely important,’ how important is it to you to make a change with this?”
“On that same scale, how confident are you that you could make that change if you decided to?”

The key follow‑ups matter as much as the scale:

“What makes it a 4 and not a 1?” (invites change talk)
“What would move it one step higher for you?”

These questions come directly from MI teaching materials on evoking change talk and working with importance and confidence rulers.

Questions that connect to values and goals

Motivational interviewing for educators often means linking school issues to what students care about beyond school. Questions that connect to values and goals include:

“When you think about your future, what do you hope it looks like?”
“What kind of person do you want to be known as by the people who matter to you?”
“How does what is happening with school fit with the kind of future you want?”
“Who are the people you most do not want to let down, and what would they hope for you in this situation?”

These questions align with MI strategies that explore goals and values to strengthen discrepancy in a respectful, autonomy‑supportive way.

A short example of open‑ended questions in action

Here is a brief conversation that showcases some open-ended questions.

Student: “I do not care about this class. It is boring.”

Educator: “Boring is the main word that comes to mind when you think about this class.”Simple reflection (Engaging)

Student: Yeah, it’s not really worth my time.

Educator: “What is the hardest part about this class for you right now?”Open question exploring experience (Engaging/Focusing)

Student: “I just do not get what we are doing half the time.”

Educator: “Feeling lost makes it hard to want to engage.”Complex reflection adding meaning (Evoking)

Student: “Yeah, it does. I mean, I tried early on, but then I just fell off. Now it’s hard to catch back up.”

Educator: “If things were even a little bit better in here for you, what would be different?”Desire‑focused open question (Evoking / DARN)

Student: “I guess I would understand it more and not feel stupid when people answer.”

Educator: “Understanding more and not feeling stupid in front of others matters to you.”Reflection of Reasons and Desire change talk (Evoking)

From here, you could move toward exploring options or small steps, using more open questions and reflections rather than switching into lecture mode.

Practicing open‑ended questions on your campus

You do not need to memorize dozens of questions. It is more about habits than scripts. A few simple practice ideas:

Pick one student or one class per day and commit to asking at least three open‑ended questions before you give advice.
After a conversation, jot down which questions seemed to open the student up and which fell flat.
Notice when you slip into rapid‑fire closed questions and gently pivot back to “what,” “how,” and “tell me about.”

Once open‑ended questions are part of how you naturally talk with students, it becomes much easier to use the rest of the MI toolbox, such as reflections, affirmations, and summaries.