Perceptions of students and teachers about democratic student participation and representation at university

Abstract

This article analyzes similarities and differences between the perception of students and teachers concerning different fields of university participation and representation, with the aim of contributing with suggestions for improvement that promote students’ involvement, which at present we consider to be scarce. A five-dimension questionnaire was created and applied to 374 students and 65 teachers from Ramon Llull University in Barcelona; a focus group was carried out with student representatives; and the degree course directors were interviewed. Results show significant differences concerning: information and communication; consideration of participation as a dimension of university quality; role of the university as a promoter of participatory processes; motivation and satisfaction for participating; training of representatives and external image of the university. We conclude with proposals for improvement concerning effective communication, internal representation, and external representation.