“I’m always happier now and I’m much more independent than I was before” Autonomy support in practice: A look at an Icelandic compulsory school

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to shed light on practices that support student autonomy, and examine the students’ experiences with these practices. The paper examines a case study conducted in the compulsory school NOW, where autonomy support figures as one of the school’s stated goals. Despite the fact that scholars have discussed notions concerning student freedom and autonomy for decades, both Icelandic and international studies show that support for student autonomy is widely insufficient. It has also been revealed that many teachers claim they lack ideas on how to structure their teaching in ways that offer students the freedom to make decisions regarding their own learning and take responsibility for their education. It would, therefore, be beneficial to Icelandic schools to strengthen the understanding of practices that support student autonomy, and no less, to shed light on students’ experience of these practices, as is the aim of the current paper.

NOW is an independently run compulsory school for students in grades 8-10. The school was founded four years ago, in 2016. Around 60 students attend the school. The school is particularly aimed at students with a background in sports, although there are no explicit requirements for athletic achievement. In addition to autonomy support, the school seeks to facilitate each student’s interests, health and wellbeing. Autonomy support refers to conditions created and measures taken in schools (structure, atmosphere, space) that support students’ autonomy. The school attracted the researcher’s attention because it is one of few schools in the world that upholds self-determination theories as one of its major professional aims. Self-determination is considered as the foundation to self-regulation, motivation and wellbeing. Self-determination theories have contributed significantly to the understanding of these key aspects of education. The paper will analyze a case study, conducted between 2018 and 2019, focusing on students in grades 8-10 in an Icelandic compulsory school. A seven-day field study was carried out in the spring of 2018, as well as during five school days in spring 2019. Three focus group interviews were held, involving 12 students, and eight personal interviews with five members of staff. The study also made use of data concerning the school’s self evaluation.

The school practices in NOW turned out to be quite different from what is generally the case in Icelandic studies on the matter. Structures that specifically support student autonomy are continuously developing. For example, a certain incentive system was designed that rewards students for good conduct and for handing in assignments on time. As a result, students were awarded more freedom than is generally practiced and they were also expected to take more responsibility for their studies. Flipped learning, formative evaluation and IT also played an important part in overseeing each student’s learning. Moreover, emphasis on students’ personal growth and social skills was woven into all aspects of the school work, for instance through mindfulness lessons, coaching and mindset training. The school’s discourse orbits around the student’s empowerment in conjunction with creating a safe environment for the growth of each individual as a human being, rather than education based on instruction in a given subject.

The students’ experience of the schooling was positive. Even though the students were offered more space and freedom to choose, their self-discipline was more salient than the norm. In this way, the students had grown to acquire more self-regulation and skill to take responsibility for their own learning, describing themselves as independent learners. The students enjoyed their school day and described a positive school atmosphere, not least due to the positive nature of their relationships with teachers and their peers. What also influenced contentment with the school work was the fact that the students felt that their interests were met to a stronger extent in NOW than in other schools they had attended. Most important in this context was the teachers’ ability to relate to students who shared their field of interest. In this sense, the students felt a sense of purpose to their learning at the school. Furthermore, the students found the school’s emphasis on personal growth and social skills to be both practical and useful.

The study is telling in terms of how academic studies can prove useful for school practices. There are many things that can be learned from a school that actively develops a curriculum aimed at facilitating the growth and autonomy of students. Such practices yield contented students who are also capable of taking responsibility for their learning.