Improving Rural and Regional Student Experiences

In this editorial for the second issue of the Australian and International Journal of Rural Education, we explore the challenges and opportunities for researching and reporting student experience in rural and regional education. The articles in this issue illustrate how the voices of students can be and are represented through research. The articles from rural and regional contexts in China, Sweden and Australia offer insights into student experiences and what can be done to improve those experiences across a range of sectors. We also note that the influence of rurality on experiences is sometimes assumed but not explicitly discussed. In summary, the articles in this issue provide useful illustrations of how student voice and experiences can be used to powerfully reflect and improve the value of programs, pedagogical approaches, curriculum offerings and educational opportunities.