Teachers' Perceptions of Their Professional Autonomy: Conceptual and Empirical Contributions to the Debate

• In Event: 34.096 - MTCC Roundtable Session 12
  In Roundtable Session: 34.096-7 - Beliefs and Social Contexts

Abstract

Teacher autonomy has been a topic of heated debate over the past decades. Empirical studies show strong correlation between teacher autonomy and teachers’ self-efficacy, work-satisfaction, and positive work climate. However, some lack of conceptual clarity remains on what teacher autonomy means. This paper begins to address this conceptual confusion by offering a definition of teacher autonomy as a multidimensional and context dependent phenomenon. The definition builds on existing conceptualisations and is presented in the form of an analytical matrix. The paper demonstrates how the matrix can be used as an analytical tool for studies involving teachers from different contexts by applying it to a qualitative study focusing on teachers’ perceived autonomy involving Irish, German, Finnish and Swedish teachers.

Authors

• Maija Salokangas, Trinity College Dublin

• Wieland Wermke, Uppsala University