Authors :
Misheck Samakao
Volume/Issue :
Volume 7 - 2022, Issue 12 - December
Google Scholar :
https://bit.ly/3IIfn9N
Scribd :
https://bit.ly/3kKujO7
DOI :
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7568422
Abstract :
Students participation in institutions of
higher learning has been associated with positive
student’s outcomes such as increased levels of
satisfaction, positive civic development, active positive
public life and prosocial behaviour.However, the colonial
educational management system comes with a type of
student participation that only looks at formal
representative structures such as student’s unions or
guild executives and formal institutional governance
structures where one or two students are elected to
represent their colleagues in form of sitting on some
university governance structures. The majority of
students populous strongly feel this kind of colonial
student’s governance system does not adequately
provide a true reflection of student’s participation in the
management of modern education systems hence the
continuation of antisocial conduct that tend to disrupt
the peaceful learning environment in terms of class
boycotts, demonstrations and riots. Eventually, this leads
to a compromised quality of education systems. The
purpose of the study therefore was to explore what
constituted student’s participation using student’s lenses.
The significance of the study was that it established the
existing gaps in the current participatory structures and
proposed a suitable students participatory model that
offers solutions to the problem of participation. The
study used a qualitative methodological design within an
explorative perspective view. Data was collected using
semi-structured questionnaires and focused group
discussions, reviews of literature and observations.
Thematic analysis was used to analyse data and the
results were presented using thematic designs. The study
established that there existed a wide gap between the
majority students and the union leadership and also
between management and the student’s majority
groupings. A decentralised model of student’s
participatory system was proposed that would offer
more informal and formal structures to increased
student’s participation in decision making process.
Keywords :
Student Participation, Decisions Making, Antisocial Behaviour, Higher Education, Decolonisation, Education System, Students Representations, Decentralisation’s.
Students participation in institutions of
higher learning has been associated with positive
student’s outcomes such as increased levels of
satisfaction, positive civic development, active positive
public life and prosocial behaviour.However, the colonial
educational management system comes with a type of
student participation that only looks at formal
representative structures such as student’s unions or
guild executives and formal institutional governance
structures where one or two students are elected to
represent their colleagues in form of sitting on some
university governance structures. The majority of
students populous strongly feel this kind of colonial
student’s governance system does not adequately
provide a true reflection of student’s participation in the
management of modern education systems hence the
continuation of antisocial conduct that tend to disrupt
the peaceful learning environment in terms of class
boycotts, demonstrations and riots. Eventually, this leads
to a compromised quality of education systems. The
purpose of the study therefore was to explore what
constituted student’s participation using student’s lenses.
The significance of the study was that it established the
existing gaps in the current participatory structures and
proposed a suitable students participatory model that
offers solutions to the problem of participation. The
study used a qualitative methodological design within an
explorative perspective view. Data was collected using
semi-structured questionnaires and focused group
discussions, reviews of literature and observations.
Thematic analysis was used to analyse data and the
results were presented using thematic designs. The study
established that there existed a wide gap between the
majority students and the union leadership and also
between management and the student’s majority
groupings. A decentralised model of student’s
participatory system was proposed that would offer
more informal and formal structures to increased
student’s participation in decision making process.
Keywords :
Student Participation, Decisions Making, Antisocial Behaviour, Higher Education, Decolonisation, Education System, Students Representations, Decentralisation’s.
