The development of student autonomy in Spain over the last 10 years: a review

ABSTRACT

This paper is based on a review of studies focusing on student autonomy in early childhood, primary, and secondary education in Spain published in the last 10 years. Autonomy is defined as the capacity of individuals to act in a self-determined way. Educational institutions play a key role in the development of autonomy through experience, and students demonstrate more autonomy in learning when they are older. The method used in this paper consists of an overview of empirical studies from different databases and the application of three pre-defined filters. A total of 41 studies is analysed and critically assessed in relation to (1) the area of knowledge and level of schooling, (2) the definition of autonomy, (3) the method used, and (4) the elements influencing student autonomy. Results indicate that (1) physical education in secondary education is the most researched area, (2) most studies have defined autonomy and used self-determination theory as a framework for measuring student autonomy, (3) the majority of studies have used quantitative methods and a student sample, and (4) autonomy support provided by teachers positively influences student autonomy. In addition, the results show that intrinsic elements, such as the development of stable individual identity and psychological resources, enhance student autonomy. The paper concludes that future research should be aimed at a more specific conceptualisation of student autonomy to be assessed, measured, and promoted in different international educational environments and areas of knowledge.

KEYWORDS:

• Student autonomy
• Spain
• review
• self-determination theory (SDT)
• autonomy support

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. Parkour is a physical activity that consists of overcoming obstacles in order to advance in a straight line in an urban space.

2. Flipped learning usually makes reference to an innovative student-centred perspective in which “the activities traditionally completed outside of class as homework are now completed in class during instruction time. And, the activities traditionally completed in class are now completed on students’ own time before class” (Honeycutt & Garrett, 2014).

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by Ethics in Communities of Practice (ETICOP-IT) under grant number [GIU 18/140].