Student perceptions of their autonomy at University

Learner autonomy is a primary learning outcome of Higher Education in many countries. However, empirical evaluation of how student autonomy progresses during undergraduate degrees is limited. We surveyed a total of 636 students' self-perceived autonomy during a period of two academic years usin...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Higher education 2018-03, Vol.75 (3), p.507-516
Main Authors: Henri, D. C, Morrell, L. J, Scott, G. W
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Akademiker
Arbeitskräftebedarf
Ausland
Autonomy
Autonomy (Philosophy)
Bedarf
Case Studies
College students
Education
Elementary education
Expectations
Fachkraft
Foreign Countries
Großbritannien
Higher Education
Hochschulbildung
Learning
Learning outcomes
Lehre
Measures (Individuals)
Outcomes of Education
Perceptions
Personal Autonomy
Self concept
Self Efficacy
Student
Student Attitudes
Student Surveys
Students
Studium
Surveys
Teaching Methods
Trust
Undergraduate Students
Workplaces
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Summary:Learner autonomy is a primary learning outcome of Higher Education in many countries. However, empirical evaluation of how student autonomy progresses during undergraduate degrees is limited. We surveyed a total of 636 students' self-perceived autonomy during a period of two academic years using the Autonomous Learning Scale. Our analysis suggests that students do not perceive themselves as being any more autonomous as they progress through University. Given the relativity of self-perception metrics, we suggest that our results evince a "red queen" effect. In essence, as course expectations increase with each year, each student's self-perceived autonomy relative to their ideal remains constant; we term this the "moving goalpost" hypothesis. This article corroborates pedagogical literature suggesting that providing students with opportunities to act autonomously and develop confidence is key to developing graduates who have the independence that they need in order to be successful in the workplace. (HRK / Abstract übernommen).
ISSN:0018-1560
1573-174X
DOI:10.1007/s10734-017-0152-y