Benefits of Autonomy
Why Should High School Students Be Given Autonomy?
Although autonomy is important for all people, it is particularly important for adolescent development. Therefore, this topic is especially relevant for high schoolers that are going through the peak of adolescence. Adolescents spend a large portion of their waking hours in school. Therefore, it makes sense that adolescents need to be given autonomy in the classroom in order for them to begin to make meaning of their place in life.
According to Russel & Bakken (2002), it is imperative for adolescents to be given autonomy so that they can mature and develop into responsible adults. According to them, autonomy refers to an adolescent’s “growing ability to think, feel, make decisions, and act on her or his own” (p. 1). By having emotional and behavioral autonomy, adolescents are able to grow to a state where they can healthily govern themselves. The authors therefore maintain that it is crucial for adolescents to be given autonomy in various aspects of their life so that they can be prepared for adulthood.
Similarly, McLean, Breen, & Fourtnier (2010) write that adolescents go through the process of individuation, which involves “establishing an autonomous sense of self while at the same time developing and sustaining close relationships with others” (p. 166). This further supports the idea that adolescents should be given autonomy so that they can develop their own identity and decide what character traits they want to adopt and whom they want to become.
Students themselves also understand the importance of having autonomy. Stokes, Sheridan, & Baird (2009), three high school students, argue that the lack of autonomy in their school drove out individuality, hope, power, and motivation from the student body. They believe that by having control of the classroom, students will become more motivated, emotionally stable, and assertive. This will help students develop into independent thinkers and leaders. After performing a short experiment, the authors found that when given fewer instructions and less structure, students were more likely to have provocative and thoughtful discussions. Therefore, they advocate that students fight for these rights and take charge of the classroom and their education.
Finally, it should be noted that inherent in the concept of choice and autonomy is the idea of relevancy to students’ lives. Yair (2000) found that the “more relevant and important the activity, the greater the students’ voluntary participation in it, the higher the skills demanded by it, and the higher its challenges – the higher their sense of being active in learning” (p. 202). Therefore, teachers should create lessons that are relevant to and centered around students’ lives. He further asserts that the more choices students have in learning, the higher their enjoyment from and interest in learning will be. He notes that, “students’ interest in what they learn, and their sense of enjoyment while learning, are highly correlated with the outcomes of learning” (p.193). Therefore, it can be assumed that students who take charge of their education will have more of an interest in their learning and become better thinkers than students who are not autonomous.
According to Russel & Bakken (2002), it is imperative for adolescents to be given autonomy so that they can mature and develop into responsible adults. According to them, autonomy refers to an adolescent’s “growing ability to think, feel, make decisions, and act on her or his own” (p. 1). By having emotional and behavioral autonomy, adolescents are able to grow to a state where they can healthily govern themselves. The authors therefore maintain that it is crucial for adolescents to be given autonomy in various aspects of their life so that they can be prepared for adulthood.
Similarly, McLean, Breen, & Fourtnier (2010) write that adolescents go through the process of individuation, which involves “establishing an autonomous sense of self while at the same time developing and sustaining close relationships with others” (p. 166). This further supports the idea that adolescents should be given autonomy so that they can develop their own identity and decide what character traits they want to adopt and whom they want to become.
Students themselves also understand the importance of having autonomy. Stokes, Sheridan, & Baird (2009), three high school students, argue that the lack of autonomy in their school drove out individuality, hope, power, and motivation from the student body. They believe that by having control of the classroom, students will become more motivated, emotionally stable, and assertive. This will help students develop into independent thinkers and leaders. After performing a short experiment, the authors found that when given fewer instructions and less structure, students were more likely to have provocative and thoughtful discussions. Therefore, they advocate that students fight for these rights and take charge of the classroom and their education.
Finally, it should be noted that inherent in the concept of choice and autonomy is the idea of relevancy to students’ lives. Yair (2000) found that the “more relevant and important the activity, the greater the students’ voluntary participation in it, the higher the skills demanded by it, and the higher its challenges – the higher their sense of being active in learning” (p. 202). Therefore, teachers should create lessons that are relevant to and centered around students’ lives. He further asserts that the more choices students have in learning, the higher their enjoyment from and interest in learning will be. He notes that, “students’ interest in what they learn, and their sense of enjoyment while learning, are highly correlated with the outcomes of learning” (p.193). Therefore, it can be assumed that students who take charge of their education will have more of an interest in their learning and become better thinkers than students who are not autonomous.