Abstract
This research study contributes to understandings of partnership approaches through an evaluation of a number of student-staff research partnership projects that took place across one higher education institution. Drawing on data from semi-structured interviews with both the staff and students involved in the twenty research projects, our data were analysed to surface the underpinning values that informed the partnership process. As a result, this article offers an opportunity to evaluate partnership projects in context, as well as to explore how partnership may serve as a disruptive force in higher education. We conclude with a consideration of how investigating the ways in which students and staff conceptualise student-staff partnership can be valuable, and with recommendations for others considering similar partnership projects.
Highlights
The Student-Staff Research Partnership Project (SSRPP) was an initiative established by the University of Surrey’s Department of Higher Education in 2019
The overarching project sought to understand what it meant for students and staff to work collaboratively on smaller research projects that would constitute the focus of their book chapters and to evaluate whether such partnerships could promote a sense of equality
We examine our findings through a series of eight interwoven themes: authenticity, inclusivity, responsibility, trust, empowerment, challenge, community, and reciprocity
Summary
The opportunity to co-write a book chapter and achieve a publication was appealing, while for staff, the chance to work outside of their comfort zone provided a space to review the way they taught and interacted with students This project sought to challenge cultural and structural barriers between students and staff and explore how power might be distributed among the co-researchers. Our data suggest a variation between students, who often voiced that partnership enabled them to feel empowered, and members of staff, who felt that while partnership disrupted the traditional teacher-student dynamic, power relations were more complex Reflecting on these findings, we draw out conclusions as to why opinions may have been divided, consider how successful the project was at achieving its aims, and suggest implications for others considering similar projects
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