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Publication
Student Participation: Issues for the Governance of Higher Education
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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
The paper reports findings of a research project aimed at developing insight into student
participation in the governance of higher education institutions. The project was carried out in two
institutions in Portugal, analyzing numbers and forms of participation, identifying facilitators and
constraints to participation, and analyzing the students’ perceptions of their own participation. The
study was carried out in the context of the European purpose of creating a cohesive European Higher
Education Area (EHEA), and in light of theoretical perspectives of the sociology of public action. The
concept of participation put forward by the Council of Europe in 2003 was mobilized in the sense that
true participation involves making a difference in decision-making. The research objectives required
both quantitative and qualitative data collection; therefore, a mixed-methods approach was adopted,
including document analysis, interviews, and a questionnaire. The cross-analysis of the data collected
enabled the researchers to characterize the participation of students in formal governing bodies and
in other institutional contexts, identify facilitators and constraints to participation resulting either
from the legal framework, the institutional culture, or personal contexts, and simultaneously capture
individual perceptions of participation on the part of the students. The results enabled the authors to
make a set of recommendations for political action both at national and institutional levels
Description
Keywords
education quality educational policies higher education quality student participation
Pedagogical Context
Citation
Palma, A.; Mourato, J.; Vinagre, J.; Almeida, F.; Pessoa, A.M. Student Participation: Issues for the Governance of Higher Education. Societies 2023, 13, 115. https:// doi.org/10.3390/soc13050115