Abstract

Student voice in higher education has the potential to empower students to influence change and improve the collective learning and teaching experience, working to counter a marketised sector. This paper presents findings from a research study that sought to conceptualise and discursively construct the student-university relationship within a UK higher education institute that promotes the involvement of students in the institution’s governance models and policies. Qualitative data was generated from interactions at the multiple levels through individual and group interviews, observations, texts and policy documentation. The research used a Foucauldian critical discourse analysis to explore the concepts of discipline, surveillance and governmentality to help expose the problematic practices and the external power in operation. The findings provide a rich and detailed assessment of how students are positioned within the student-university relationship and the reasons for such positioning, developing a greater understanding of the complexities in practice.