A student-staff partnership conducting research in higher education: An analysis of student and staff reflections
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15173/ijsap.v7i1.5122Keywords:
higher education, student-staff partnership, mental healthAbstract
This article reports on an analysis of reflections by students and staff following a student-staff partnership which conducted a qualitative exploratory inquiry case study on student mental health in higher education. Following completion of the inquiry, two engaged students and the principal investigator reflected on their experience of the partnership. The analysis resulted in the following categories: a) benefits, b) support for learning, c) motivations, d) impact, e) outputs, and f) limitations. Students learned research skills, enhancements for learning/career and empowerment. Staff experienced an eased ability to conduct research and the rewards of seeing students develop new skills. It is recommended stakeholders in higher education continue to invest in student-staff partnerships in the context of research studies and mental health inquiry to foster opportunities for positive learning outcomes for students, staff, and institutions.
Downloads
References
Argent, C. (2020). Research as a vehicle for learning. Student Engagement in Higher Education, 3(1), 3–6. https://sehej.raise-network.com/raise/article/view/1014
Bamwo, l., Clarkson, S., & Benford-Brown, T. (2020). Implementing the guided learner journey: a case study of the evolution of institutional wide partnerships, through a set of pedagogic principles. The Journal of Educational Innovation, Partnership and Change, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.21100/jeipc.v6i1.1011
Bell, A (2016). Students as co-inquirers in Australian higher education: opportunities and challenges. Teaching and Learning Inquiry, 4 (2), 1-10. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1148480.pdf
Blithe, S. J. & Fidelibus, B. (2021). Faculty-undergraduate course curriculum collaboration. College Teaching, 70(2). https://doi.org/10.1080/87567555.2021.1920879
Bobeva, M., Landmark, K., & Khaled, A. (2020). Developing global talent for the world of work through staff-student-industry collaboration and co-creation on a global scale. Journal of Educational Innovation, Partnership and Change, 6(1), 1–14. 10.21100/jeipc.v6i1.1015
Bovill, C. (2017). A Framework to explore roles within student-staff partnerships in higher education: Which students are partners, when, and in what ways?’ International Journal for Students as Partners, 1(1). https://mulpress.mcmaster.ca/ijsap/article/view/3062
Bovill, C. (2020). Co-creation in learning and teaching: The case for a whole-class approach in higher education. Higher Education, 79, 1023–1037. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-019-00453-w
Brooman, S., Darwent, S & Pimor, A. (2015). The student voice in higher education curriculum design: is there value in listening? Innovations in Education and Teaching International. 52, 6 (Nov. 2015), 663–674. https://doi.org/10.1080/14703297.2014.910128
Bryson, C. (Ed.). (2014). Understanding and developing student engagement. Routledge.
Cantwell, J. & Bristow, R. (2022). A Student-Staff Partnership Conducting Research in Higher Education: An Analysis. [“Paper presentation”] Change Agents Network Conference (CAN). Online. https://reflect.ucl.ac.uk/canconference2022/programme-2022/abstracts/
Cook-Sather, A. (2015). Dialogue across differences of position, perspective, and identity: Reflective practice in/on a student-faculty pedagogical partnership program. Teachers College Record, 117(2). https://repository.brynmawr.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1032&context=edu_pubs
Cook-Sather, A., Bovill, C., & Felten, P. (2014). Engaging students as partners in learning and teaching: A guide for faculty. Jossey Bass
Dickerson, C., Jarvis, J., & Stockwell, L. (2016). Staff–student collaboration: Student learning from working together to enhance educational practice in HE, Teaching in Higher Education, 21(3), 249–265. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2015.1136279
Ellis, E., Walker, S., & Knight, S. (2020) Editorial. Journal of Educational Innovation, Partnership and Change, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.21100/jeipc.v6i1.1018
Fagen, C., Cooper, A., Chatzifragkou, A., Bennett, E. J. (2020). Principles in partnership: Embedding employability in curriculum design. Journal of Educational, Innovation, Partnership and Change, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.21100/jeipc.v6i1.1010
Great Schools Partnership. (2016). Glossary of educational reform. https://www.greatschoolspartnership.org/resources/glossary-of-education-reform/
Healey, M., Flint, A., & Harrington, K. (2014). Engagement through partnership: Students as partners in learning and teaching in higher education. Higher Education Academy. https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/knowledge-hub/engagement-through-partnership-students-partners-learning-and-teaching-higher
Healey, M., & Healey, R. L. (2018). ‘It depends’: Exploring the context-dependent nature of ‘students as partners’ practices and policies. International Journal for Students as Partners, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.15173/ijsap.v2i1.3472
Hermsen, T., Kuiper, T., Roelofs, F., & van Wijchen, J. (2017). Without emotions, never a partnership! International Journal for Students as Partners, 1(2), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.15173/ijsap.v1i2.3228.
Holley, L. C. & Steiner, S. (2005) Safe space: Student perspectives on classroom environment. Journal of Social Work Education, 41(1), 49–64. https://doi.org/10.5175/JSWE.2005.200300343
Lewis, D. (2017). Extracurricular partnerships as a tool for enhancing graduate employability. International Journal for Students as Partners, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.15173/ijsap.v1i1.3052
Matthews, K., Cook-Sather, A., Acai, A., Dvorakova, S. L., Felten, P., Marquis, E., & Mercer-Mapstone, L., (2019). Toward theories of partnership praxis: an analysis of interpretive framing in literature on students as partners in teaching and learning. Higher Education Research and Development, 38(2), 280–293. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2018.1530199
Matthews, K. E., Cook-Sather, A., & Healey, M. (2018b). Connecting learning, teaching, and research through student-staff partnerships: Toward universities as egalitarian learning communities. In V. Tong, A. Standen, & M. Sotiriou (Eds.), Shaping higher education with students: Ways to connect research and teaching. University College London Press.
Matthews, K. E., Dwyer, A., Hine, L., & Turner, J. (2018a). Conceptions of students as partners. Higher Education, 7(6) 957–971. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-018-0257-y
Matthews, K. E. (2017). Five propositions for genuine students as partners practice. International Journal for Students as Partners, 1(2). https://doi.org/10.15173/ijsap.v1i2.3315
Maunder, R. E. (2021). Staff and student experiences of working together on pedagogic research projects: Partnerships in practice. Higher Education Research and Development, 40(6), 1205–1219. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2020.1809999
Mercer-Mapstone, L., Dvorakova, S. L., Matthews, K. E., Abbot, S., Cheng, B., Felten, P., Knorr, K., Marquis, E., Shammas, R., & Swaim, K. (2017). A Systematic Literature Review of Students as Partners in Higher Education. International Journal for Students as Partners, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.15173/ijsap.v1i1.3119
Payne, H. (2022). Teaching staff and student perceptions of staff support for student mental health: A university case study. Education Sciences, 12(4), 237. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12040237
Payne, H., Bristow, R., Cantwell, J., Klos, L., Edgar, M., Breytenbach, N., & Sherpa, C. (2018). The perceptions of academic staff supporting students with mental health concerns and students’ experiences of such support across some schools at UH: Implications for pedagogy and policy [Unpublished internal report]. University of Hertfordshire.
Ribchester, C., Davies, F., & Fisher, E. (2020). Planning and presenting together: Insights from the ‘Towards Meaningful Partnerships’ Symposium.’ Teaching and Learning Together in Higher Education, 1(31). https://repository.brynmawr.edu/tlthe/vol1/iss31/5
Schön, D. A. (1983). The reflective practitioner: How professionals think in action. Basic Books.
Spear, S., Morey, Y., & van Steen, T. (2020). Academics’ perceptions and experiences of working with students with mental health problems: Insights from across the UK higher education sector. Higher Education Research & Development, 40(5), 1117–1130. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2020.1798887
Stockwell, L., Smith, K. & Woods, P. (2020). That which is worthy of love: A philosophical framework for reflection on staff-student partnerships for the future university. Philosophy and Theory in Higher Education, 2(3), 71–98. https://doi.org/10.3726/PTIHE032020.0005
Woods, P. A., & Roberts, A. (2018). Collaborative school leadership: A critical guide. Sage.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2023 Helen Payne, James Cantwell, Richard Bristow
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
Authors are permitted to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process - this applies to the submitted, accepted, and published versions of the manuscript. This can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (see The Effect of Open Access).