Exploring the Impact of Student-Staff Partnerships in Higher Education: A Realist Review Protocol

Student-staff partnership (SSP) in higher education (HE) is rooted in democratic education and critical pedagogy, advocating for active student engagement. While widely recognised for fostering student success, SSP initiatives vary in definition, implementation, and impact. In Ireland, national policy has positioned SSP as central to student engagement, yet there is limited synthesis of the contextual factors and mechanisms influencing its success. Existing literature highlights benefits such as increased engagement and enhanced learning but often overlooks challenges, including power dynamics, resistance to change, and inconsistent institutional commitment.

This protocol outlines the methodology for a realist review, forming the first stage of a broader realist inquiry into SSP initiatives. The review will synthesise existing evidence to understand how, why, and in what contexts SSP initiatives succeed or face challenges in HE. Specifically, it will identify the contextual factors, mindsets, and engagement strategies that enable meaningful partnerships, as well as mechanisms for overcoming barriers. The review will generate initial programme theories (IPTs) to inform a subsequent realist evaluation within University College Dublin (UCD).

A realist review methodology will be used to explore the interactions between context, mechanisms, and outcomes in SSP initiatives. The study will follow a five-stage realist review process: scoping the literature, developing IPTs, systematically reviewing evidence, synthesising findings, and refining theories with expert input. The Context-Mechanism-Outcome Configuration (CMOC) framework will guide the analysis.

This protocol sets out the approach for developing evidence-informed programme theories on SSP. These theories will underpin a subsequent realist evaluation within UCD to refine SSP implementation strategies. Findings will inform institutional strategies, policy development, and academic practice, with dissemination through academic and practitioner-focused outputs.