How two high school teachers conceive of student voice, value it, and foster it
Committee members: Dugas, Daryl; McCann, Thomas.||Advisor: Wilkins, Elizabeth.||Includes illustrations.||Includes bibliographical references.
Abstract
The purpose of this qualitative, exploratory study was to examine two high school English teachers' experience as they worked together to purposefully implement increased student voice in their classrooms. The study focused on how a convenience sample of teachers designed, implemented, and reflected upon classroom assignments and lessons with the intention to increase student voice and ownership in the classroom. Teachers each participated in four individual interviews, four partnership observations and three classroom observations as they related to student voice implementation. Data from the interviews, partnership observations and classroom observations were analyzed using qualitative methods and through the lenses of positioning theory and discourse theory. Five key findings emerged from the study. Teachers' values and belief systems influence their perception of student voice. Teachers must be aware of their own positioning in the classroom to make space for student voice. Student voice implementation in the classroom includes elements from all four domains in the Danielson framework. Authentic opportunities for student voice can be a struggle due to mandated district assessments. Finally, teachers benefit from utilizing various instructional and classroom management strategies to purposefully increase student voice in the classroom. Recommendations for the field and for future research are also presented.
