took into account when conducting a job search and considering offers of employment. Thus, in fall 2008, KEDCO commissioned a study that sought to determine factors that affect the attraction and retention of Queen‘s graduates as creative workers in the ‗new economy‘. The study investigated students‘ attitudes about Kingston, and the factors that students consider to be important when making decisions about where to launch their career (see The Monieson Centre 2008). The collaborative research project was conducted as a partnership between The Monieson Centre, Queen‘s School of Business Career Centre, Queen‘s University Career Services and Student Affairs Research and Assessment. Each partner brought an area of expertise that was crucial to the development of the project, including the establishment of the conceptual and theoretical framework, the methodological design, analysis and interpretation of the data, and knowledge about students. The research team met regularly to discuss and steer the development of the project, which was cleared through the Queen‘s University General Research Ethics Board. Theoretical Framework Based on the work of Florida (2009), a theoretical framework was developed to guide the empirical analysis of the factors that are likely to influence student‘s construction of place and therefore the retention of university graduates. While there are no clear guidelines for measuring how individuals construct a sense of place, we argue that individual‘s sense of satisfaction with a community, and sense of belonging to a community, are central to this construction. Coinciding with the arguments of Florida (see for example 2004; 2007; 2009), we, first, posit that an individual‘s satisfaction with a particular place reflects his or her evaluation of the amenities offered by that place. These amenities may include, for example, the physical, cultural, economic and social characteristics of a community. Second, we argue that an individual‘s sense of belonging is important to the constructed sense of community because it reflects a perceived engagement with the community and its amenities. Third, we posit that these two constructs are related and reciprocal (i.e., each is at least partially endogenously determined by the other) and that these constructs are influenced by an individual‘s experiences and preferences. Diagrammatically, this framework is illustrated in Figure 2. Empirical analysis that follows examines the viability of this framework as well as examines the factors that are likely to influence an individual`s community satisfaction, sense of belonging, and creative student retention by the City of Kingston. Methodology and Methods A mixed-methods approach was adopted for this study, because the research questions were broad and complex, and could not be answered sufficiently by utilizing an exclusively quantitative or qualitative research design. Rich and detailed information about students‘ attitudes towards Kingston, and the factors that they consider when making decisions about where to live and work post-graduation, was needed to understand the dynamic processes that shape and influence students‘ opinions and decisions. Such an understanding is best obtained through qualitative methods (Creswell 2006). Equally important was the ability to generalize the findings, and consult with larger numbers of students, which required the incorporation of a
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