A Systematic Review of Literature on Student Voice and Agency in Middle Grade Contexts
This systematic review analyzes the research literature on student voice and agency in the middle grades, focusing on middle-level schools, culture, and learning environments. The idea of student voice and agency was taken up as collaborative decision-making and/or student feedback on issues related...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2024-10-01
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| Series: | Education Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/14/11/1158 |
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| author | Mary Beth Schaefer Sarah E. Pennington Kent Divoll Judy H. Tang |
| author_facet | Mary Beth Schaefer Sarah E. Pennington Kent Divoll Judy H. Tang |
| author_sort | Mary Beth Schaefer |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This systematic review analyzes the research literature on student voice and agency in the middle grades, focusing on middle-level schools, culture, and learning environments. The idea of student voice and agency was taken up as collaborative decision-making and/or student feedback on issues related to school and pedagogy. After a comprehensive search for peer-reviewed research (2015–2024), an article review framework was developed to determine how, where, and why student voices and agency were engaged in the middle grades. Three themes characterized the research literature: (1) passive student voice and agency: researcher-driven studies to gain understanding; (2) active student voice and agency: partnering with students to improve their learning experiences; and (3) activating the inner voice and agency: helping students to reflect on their own learning. The research on student voice and agency provided information that directly and indirectly benefited students. The literature related to passive student voice and agency tended to be indirect, while active student voice and agency and activating students’ inner voice and agency tended to provide tangible and observable student benefits. While the studies were responsive to different aspects of young adolescent development and included foci on students’ social/emotional development and identity, other areas were lacking—including culturally responsive teaching, international perspectives, and sense of self/peer perceptions. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c71888f4d6064d91890f05e055666a00 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2227-7102 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Education Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-c71888f4d6064d91890f05e055666a002024-11-26T18:01:09ZengMDPI AGEducation Sciences2227-71022024-10-011411115810.3390/educsci14111158A Systematic Review of Literature on Student Voice and Agency in Middle Grade ContextsMary Beth Schaefer0Sarah E. Pennington1Kent Divoll2Judy H. Tang3Department of Curriculum & Instruction, St. John’s University, New York, NY 11439, USACollege of Education, Health & Human Development, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USACollege of Education, University of Houston–Clear Lake, Houston, TX 77058, USAWestat, Rockville, MD 20850, USAThis systematic review analyzes the research literature on student voice and agency in the middle grades, focusing on middle-level schools, culture, and learning environments. The idea of student voice and agency was taken up as collaborative decision-making and/or student feedback on issues related to school and pedagogy. After a comprehensive search for peer-reviewed research (2015–2024), an article review framework was developed to determine how, where, and why student voices and agency were engaged in the middle grades. Three themes characterized the research literature: (1) passive student voice and agency: researcher-driven studies to gain understanding; (2) active student voice and agency: partnering with students to improve their learning experiences; and (3) activating the inner voice and agency: helping students to reflect on their own learning. The research on student voice and agency provided information that directly and indirectly benefited students. The literature related to passive student voice and agency tended to be indirect, while active student voice and agency and activating students’ inner voice and agency tended to provide tangible and observable student benefits. While the studies were responsive to different aspects of young adolescent development and included foci on students’ social/emotional development and identity, other areas were lacking—including culturally responsive teaching, international perspectives, and sense of self/peer perceptions.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/14/11/1158middle grades schoolsmiddle grades classroomslearning environmentyoung adolescent voicestudent voiceco-research with students |
| spellingShingle | Mary Beth Schaefer Sarah E. Pennington Kent Divoll Judy H. Tang A Systematic Review of Literature on Student Voice and Agency in Middle Grade Contexts Education Sciences middle grades schools middle grades classrooms learning environment young adolescent voice student voice co-research with students |
| title | A Systematic Review of Literature on Student Voice and Agency in Middle Grade Contexts |
| title_full | A Systematic Review of Literature on Student Voice and Agency in Middle Grade Contexts |
| title_fullStr | A Systematic Review of Literature on Student Voice and Agency in Middle Grade Contexts |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Systematic Review of Literature on Student Voice and Agency in Middle Grade Contexts |
| title_short | A Systematic Review of Literature on Student Voice and Agency in Middle Grade Contexts |
| title_sort | systematic review of literature on student voice and agency in middle grade contexts |
| topic | middle grades schools middle grades classrooms learning environment young adolescent voice student voice co-research with students |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/14/11/1158 |
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