Tournament rituals and experiential competence development in higher education: A case of a unique conference series

The Hungarian Student Research Society (HSRS) movement is a unique, experience-based tournament ritual promoting student-centered learning via instructors working as facilitators. Within the framework of this 70-year-old conference series, students conduct mentor-supported research activities on self-chosen topics, prepare academic papers, and present their research work to peers and expert juries within their institutions. The best research is included in the National Student Research Conference (NSRC), organized by discipline. The present study reviews and analyzes this process from the perspective of tournament rituals, skill development, and student experience. The study utilizes student opinions, perceptions, and feedback from a Student Research Conference in Economics to illustrate the method's effectiveness. Findings suggest that such conference event series – which function as tournaments, professional conferences, and festivals via community events – effectively develop the soft skills that are becoming increasingly important in the 21st century. In addition to professional competencies, Student Research Conferences (SRC) provide student participants with positive experiences.