“I'm somehow just as much a part of the project.” – Exploring student participation at the level of student staff

Student staff play an essential role in student participation. Tutors and study assistants gain insight into university structures, while also enabling other students to participate. This paper explores the self-perceptions of student staff as student participants, which is a relatively new area in the Austrian university context. A thematic analysis of two group discussions with students shows that tutors and study assistants have a strong awareness of facilitating the participation of other students, but often do not perceive themselves as participating.