The challenges of student voice in primary schools: Students ‘having a voice’ and ‘speaking for’ others

Abstract

Student participation in school decision-making and reform processes has taken inspiration from reconceptualisations of childhood. Advocates for student voice argue for the repositioning of children and young people in relation to adults in schools. This article works with data from a multi-sited case study of three primary schools and students’, teachers’ and school leaders’ accounts of their student voice practices. We consider the relationships between students in student voice activities in primary schools, and the possibilities and ambivalences of representative students ‘speaking for’ other students. We integrate recent insights from moves beyond voice in childhood studies, and from the turn to listening in cultural studies, and raise questions for students, teachers and researchers who seek to encourage student voice in primary schooling.

‘Turn up the volume and listen to my voice’: Students’ perceptions of Music in school

“…Various studies have investigated the student voice in a variety of educational contexts (Baroutsis et al, 2016;Bron & Veugelers, 2014;Charteris & Smardon, 2019;Cook-Sather, 2002;Mayes et al, 2019;Mitra & Gross, 2009;Mitra & Serriere, 2012). They have underlined the significance of not only listening to what students have to say about their learning but also taking it into consideration and proceeding with actions.…”

“…Teachers need to be open to seeing students as valued and active members of the school and wider community (Cook-Sather, 2006;Quinn & Owen, 2016), which is not always the case. Another barrier could be related to whose voices we open our ears to, as usually voice is given to privileged students and rarely to marginalised ones (Fielding, 2004;Mayes et al, 2019).…”

Students’ Perceptions of Their Rights in School: A Systematic Review of the International Literature

“…3). The term "student voice" is not identical to student participation (see Lundy, 2007), but in certain countries, it is often used in conjunction with a human rights analysis based on the UNCRC (e.g., Gillett-Swan & Sargeant, 2018;Mayes et al, 2019). U.S. law: The terms "participation" and "student voice" do not refer to a rights framework (see Mitra et al, 2014).…”

Schüler*innenprotest – subversive Praxis oder Einlösung schulischer Partizipationsversprechen?

“…Vereinzelte Studien untermauern die positiven Wirkungen: So würden sich Schüler*innen im Unterricht eher beteiligen, wenn sie in die Unterrichtsplanung einbezogen werden (Howley und Tannehill 2014); zudem ließen sich durch ein reichhaltiges Angebot an Beteiligungsmöglichkeiten ihre sozialen sowie kommunikativen Fähigkeiten verbessern (vgl. Mayes et al 2019). Aus den Ergebnissen dieser Studien lässt sich der Eindruck gewinnen, dass das Partizipationsversprechen in der Grundschule uneingeschränkt eingelöst wird.…”