'My input was actually being listened to and could lead to real change': Developing trust through student voice in student-staff partnerships

Student-staff partnership working within higher education is a process in which student voice is critical for success. Trust is frequently identified as fundamental to both student voice and partnership, yet how is trust built and maintained? This project, in which eight student researchers interviewed both staff and students (n = 41) across four diverse institutions in the United Kingdom, was established to explore the implications of trust-building for student voice and partnership working and to capture insights from their experiences. Staff and student reflections on partnership working were collected using narrative inquiry in which participants were invited to explore their perceptions and experiences. Both trust and empathy were identified as key factors for meaningful partnerships alongside a consideration of the impact of power dynamics, reasonable reciprocal expectations, and authenticity. The importance of the findings for impactful student voice strategies is that a focus on trust-building and inclusivity is essential to successfully scale partnership working across higher education.