Student Voice: Assessing Research in the Field

• In Event: Student Voice Research Symposium: Theory, Methods, and Innovations From the Field

Abstract

OBJECTIVES. This paper comprises a review of literature related to and concerning student voice in an effort to identify, categorize, and organize methods used to conduct research with students. This is done so as to conceptualize what ‘student voice’ has come to mean in the field and thus understand how the range of definitions may impact how we approach such research.

FRAMEWORKS, METHODS, & DATA SOURCES. In pursuit of this objective, three researchers reviewed 938 articles (672 peer-reviewed and 266 dissertations) sourced from 17 online databases (such as JSTOR, Sage Publications, Taylor & Francis Online, and Wiley Online Library). The search period for articles related to student voice studies was set to any time and not limited to any specific geographic location since we are concerned with identifying and cataloguing a comprehensive and up to date list of methods used to study student voice. The scope of our initial search is also narrowed to peer-reviewed studies and dissertations, articles written in English, and articles with “student voice” OR “pupil voice” in the title.

RESULTS & SIGNIFICANCE. We found the majority of student voice research is mostly comprised of single case studies of student voice initiatives in schools or youth community organizations. We also found very few quantitative studies, most of which involved scale development. Furthermore, the degree of involvement for which researchers claim to have utilized student voice methods range from single interviews to full participation in research design. Identifying the methodological trends and gaps, as well as understanding what is meant by ‘student voice research’, can help student voice researchers decide how to design future studies. Continuing to use quality methods common to the field, choosing underutilized methods to fill in the quantitative knowledge gaps, and determining how the framing of student voice may influence researcher perceptions and focus on phenomena are all important areas for development in the field of student voice research.

Authors

• Lindsay Lyons, Self-employed
  Presenting Author

• Vanessa Gold, McGill University
  Presenting Author

• Ellen MacCannell, McGill University
  Presenting Author