Student perceptions of their autonomy at University / D. C. Henri ; L. J. Morrell ; G. W. Scott

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V. Foreign Higher Education and Education Systems, International Relations, Bilateral Relations
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Author	HENRI, D. C. (MORRELL, L. J.; SCOTT, G. W.)
Title	Student perceptions of their autonomy at University / D. C. Henri ; L. J. Morrell ; G. W. Scott
Publication year	2018
Source/Footnote	In: Higher education. - 75 (2018) 3, S. 507 - 516
Inventory number	46715
Keywords	Ausland : Großbritannien : Studium, Studenten, Lehre ; Bedarf an Akademikern
Abstract	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 students 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) Henri, D. C., E-Mail: d.henri@hull.ac.uk