The Pedagogical Foundations of Student Voice: What Do Teachers Who Support Student Voice Actually Do?

• In Event: Fairmont Roundtable Session Ten
  In Roundtable Session: The Heart of the Matter: Centering Student Voice in Teachers' Pedagogy and Practice (Table 15)

Abstract

Student voice has been touted as an effective means of promoting desired academic outcomes for students, and though evidence is starting to affirm these links, questions remain about what transformative student voice actually looks like in practice. This mixed methods study in two urban high schools explores what student voice practices entail at the classroom level and examines how these practices relate to other pedagogical strategies. Findings reveal that student-voice practices in the classroom are often undergirded by core pedagogical building blocks: teacher projections of competence, student-teacher relationships, interactive classrooms, culturally affirming pedagogy paired with differentiated instruction, and autonomy support. Findings also underscore the rarity of these powerful practices in classrooms serving marginalized youth.

Authors

• Jerusha O. Conner, Villanova University
  Presenting Author

• Dana L. Mitra, Pennsylvania State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Samantha E. Holquist, Child Trends
  Non-Presenting Author

• Amy K. Syvertsen
  Non-Presenting Author