Beyond the bandwagon: Decolonising the curriculum through student-staff partnerships and the paradox of critical disappointment

Decolonising the curriculum in UK higher education remains an urgent yet uneven endeavour. This mixed-methods case study examines the Inclusive Practice Partnership scheme at a UK university's School of Business and Law, which operationalises Students as Partners within a participatory action research framework. We adopted a sequential design: three focus groups with 22 students who experienced revised modules explored belonging, intellectual engagement and perceptions of authenticity; a subsequent survey of 217 students measured representation, perceived increase in non-Western perspectives, perceived impact, adequacy, importance of continued change, and belonging. The qualitative analysis identified three themes: (1) validated identities and enhanced belonging through representative content; (2) critical engagement fostered by plural perspectives; and (3) concerns about tokenism where reforms felt superficial. Quantitatively, representation was positively associated with belonging, while perceived increases in non-Western perspectives strongly predicted perceived impact; notably, students who rated decolonisation as highly important reported lower belonging, indicating a critical disappointment when expectations outpace delivery. We argue that sustainable decolonisation requires programme-level epistemological transformation, structured staff development, and institutional courage to move beyond additive diversification. The study offers an empirically grounded framework for advancing authentic, systemic decolonial practice in higher education. • Mixed-methods student-staff partnership study decolonising UK business curriculum using participatory action research. • Tests dual-pathway model linking curricular representation to student belonging (affective) and intellectual engagement (cognitive). • Identifies the paradox of critical disappointment : students who place high importance on decolonisation report lower belonging when reforms are perceived as superficial. • Shows belonging mediates curriculum & satisfaction link; qualitative themes reveal validation, engagement & tokenism concerns. • Provides a replicable institutional framework for implementing decolonisation through structured partnership phases, staff development, and module-level revision.