学生参与决策过程一直被认为是高校成功的重要组成部分。在过去二十年中，学生参与决策受到了广泛的讨论。不过，不同地区和不同院校的学生参与决策的程度还是有一些差异。在孟加拉国，学生的参与主要是围绕教育机构并且是通过学生组织进行参与。学生组织在孟加拉国的社会、文化和政治问题上发挥着非常重要的作用。孟加拉院校学生主要是通过不同的学生组织参与，学生个体如果不加入组织则没有办法发挥积极的作用。本研究探索了孟加拉国达卡大学学生在参与决策过程的经验并确定了三个研究目标：导致学生参与达卡大学学生组织的因素；调查学生在达卡大学决策过程中的参与方式，并确定学生在达卡大学参与的影响。

本研究是在孟加拉国达卡大学进行的，它是孟加拉国开办的第一所，同时也是规模最大最著名的大学。达卡大学在孟加拉国家的独立过程中发挥了非常重要的作用。本研究采用定性研究的方法，收集了包括文献分析、关键知情人访谈和观察等大量一手和二手的资料。总共采访了25名来自不同社会领域的重要人物，例如达卡大学行政管理人员，教师，学生，社会和文化活动家以及学生组织的前任领袖等。本研究采用了Alexander W. Astin（1999）的“学生参与理论”和Tony Bush（2011）的“大学模型理论”两个主要理论指导了本研究的数据分析。“学生参与理论”解释了学生参与学生组织各项活动的情况及其对高等教育机构的影响。“合作模式理论”描述了达卡大学的参与式领导，这是由学者和学生共同创建的让学生参与决策的结果。

本研究的发现表明，达卡大学吸引学生加入学生组织或社团的原因是多方面的，但是主要原因是因为学生的经济能力不足。许多学生没有经济能力在校外租房，因此他们需要住在大学宿舍。本研究的参与者和文献资料显示，学生组织在达卡大学的决策过程中拥有广泛的权力，比如分配宿舍床位、管理食堂和自助餐厅。因此，学生不得不加入这些组织，以获得一些好处，如更容易分配到宿舍床位等。

此外，学生对大学管理有直接影响。达卡大学的学生积极地通过各种方式参与达卡大学的决策过程。学生会是最重要的渠道，它在大学理事会中有五个代表的名额，而且和宿舍的学生组织有密切关系。学生组织对大学招聘学术和非学术人员以及招标过程有很大影响。此外，学生和老师一直在管理学生事务，并建立了参与性领导。学生试图通过以问题为中心的活动来提出自己的要求，这些要求对大学管理具有广泛影响力。

本研究的另一个重要发现是，学生参与决策改善了大学的体制结构，并且学生通过参加学生组织举办的各种活动而获得更好提高技能的机会。更明确地讲，在学生事务中为学生和教师做出贡献有助于在校园内营造积极的氛围，并在学生与教师之间建立更好的关系。此外，学生获得多层次的技能来参加大学学习，例如，领导能力，管理技能，沟通能力和团队合作精神。这也表明从事大学活动的学生在学业上表现更好。

Student participation in the university administration is considered as a substantial component of success in higher educational institutions. It has received extensive discussion in the past, particularly in the last two decades. However, there is a distinction in student participation among different regions and different institutions. In Bangladesh, student participation is highly interconnected with various student organizations in educational institutions. Student organizations play a significant role in the social, cultural, and political issues of the country. Students mainly participate in institutional decision-making process through different student organizations. This study explores the experiences of students in the decision-making process at Dhaka University by targeting three research objectives: examining the factors contributing in students’ involvement in administration of Dhaka University; investigate the ways of student participation in the decision-making process at Dhaka University, and probing the impacts of student engagement in Dhaka University. 

This research is conducted at Dhaka University, which is the first, largest, and most famous university in Bangladesh. Dhaka University has played a crucial role in the independence of Bangladesh. This research employs a qualitative research design to collect data from both primary and secondary sources that include document analysis, key informant interviews, and observations. A total of 25 significant individuals from different social backgrounds such as university administrators, faculty, students, social and cultural activists, and former student leaders of student organizations have been interviewed. Two major theories, the student involvement theory by Alexander W. Astin (1999), and collegial model theory by Tony Bush (2011) guide the data analysis in the study. The student involvement theory explains the students' engagement in various activities of student organizations and their impact on the higher educational institutes. The collegial model theory describes the participatory leadership of Dhaka University created by academics and students as a result of student's participation in institutional decision-making process. 

The findings of this research reveal that among many factors that attract students to join student organizations at Dhaka University, the economic incapability of students is one of the most significant. Many students do not have the financial ability to live outside campus by renting a private apartment; thus, they need to stay at the university dormitory. And the participants and the documents reviewed in this study indicate that student organizations hold extensive power in the decision-making processes such as allocation of the living seats in dormitories, management of dining hall, and cafeterias at Dhaka University. As a result, students join these organizations to get university living benefits such as easy allocation of seats to stay in dormitories.  

In addition, students have a direct influence on university administration. Students participate in the decision-making process at Dhaka University very actively through various channels. Student Union is the most important channel that has five representatives in the University Senate. Student organizations have an influence on student dormitories, recruiting academic and non-academic staff at the university, as well as the tenders. Besides, students and teachers have been managing the student affairs issues, and it has established a participative leadership. Moreover, students tried to ask for their demands through issue centric activities that hold extensive power on university administration. 

Another significant finding of this study is that students' participation in decision-making improves the institutional structure of the university, and students are getting opportunities to improve their skills by joining various activities organized by the student organizations. More clearly, contributing students and teachers in student affairs issues help to create a positive atmosphere in the campus and bring a better relationship between student and teachers. Besides, students acquire multi level skills to participate in university, for example, leadership skill, managerial skills, communication skills and teamwork. It also shows that students who engaged in university activities perform better academically.