Postgraduate student voice in the university decision-making processes and practices

Abstract

Student voice in university decision-making processes and practices is a global concern. Hence, this study was aimed at exploring the promotion of student voice in university decision-making processes and practices. Arnstein’s ladder of citizen participation (1969) was adopted as a theoretical framework that guided the understanding of how postgraduate student voice is promoted in university decision-making processes and practices. The objectives of the study were to explore how universities interpret postgraduate student voice in decision-making processes and practices. Also, to investigate the strategies that the universities use to promote postgraduate student voice in the decision-making processes and practices. The objectives of the study were to further determine what postgraduate students perceive to be their role in the promotion of their voice in university decision-making processes and practices. In addition, the study objectives were to clarify how postgraduate students’ account for the decisions they make in the promotion of their voice in the decision-making processes and practices of universities. Furthermore, the objectives of the study were to find out how universities experience the promotion of students’ voice in decision-making processes and practices. The study engaged an exploratory qualitative approach that was modelled on a single case study. Eleven postgraduate students from one South African university were interviewed. These participants shared their experiences, views and beliefs about the promotion of postgraduate student voice in university decision-making processes and practices. The findings revealed that postgraduate students perceived themselves as stakeholders and decision makers who have a right to partner with the university in knowledge production and to influence postgraduate education policies. The study further found that postgraduate students viewed institutional policies and structures, student-supervisor relationships and supervisory meetings between students and supervisors as strategies that promote their voice in university decision-making processes and practices. Also, the study revealed that postgraduate students perceived self-determination and appreciation as their role in the promotion of their voice in university decision-making processes and practices. Furthermore, the study revealed that postgraduate students are not informed about the procedures providing for their participation in university decision-making processes and practices. This did not prevent postgraduate students from displaying maturity when communicating with university decision-makers. Although postgraduate student voice was experienced positively in university decision-making processes and practice, the study revealed that they fear victimisation because of their participation in university decision-making processes and practices. As a result, postgraduate students felt that their voice was not as clear in university decision-making processes and practices as it could be. The findings of this study were applied to define Arnstein’s ladder of citizen participation in a “ladder of postgraduate student voice at the university”. The rungs that emerged from “ladder of postgraduate student voice engagement at the university” were rungs 7 (collaboration), 6 (autonomy), 4 (contribution), 5 (persuasion) rungs 3 (isolation), 2 (intimidation) and 1 (disregard). It emerged from participants’ responses that postgraduate students’ participation in university decision-making processes and practices took place at both higher and lower rungs of the “ladder of postgraduate student voice at the university”. Based on these rungs, the study recommends that universities should consult postgraduate students when making decisions, be transparent when making decisions that affect postgraduate students as a group or as individuals, provide platforms for students to air their concerns about processes and practices that involve their postgraduate studies, make postgraduate students aware of the procedures they need to follow when they are not satisfied with decision-making processes and practices that violate their right to equal and quality education, and ensure that postgraduate students participate in university forums such as student representative councils.