Description
Purpose. In the last two decades, the term “student voice” has entered the everyday vocabulary of educators, and student voice initiatives are proliferating around the world. As researchers attempt to keep pace with these new developments, it is imperative that they unify around shared definitions, terminology, and frameworks. This manuscript is designed to support such an effort.
Approach. The paper offers a thematic and theoretical review, drawing on existing research.
Findings. Based on a comprehensive literature review, the paper constructs a clear overarching definition of student voice and clarifies the relationships between student voice and other fields in which the terminology of student voice features prominently. The paper also examines similarities and differences in existing student voice frameworks and proposes a new framework that delineates two important dimensions of student voice, heretofore under-theorized in relation to each other in the literature: power and preparation.
Implications. The paper raises implications for practitioners, policy-makers, and researchers who seek to understand what student voice is and how to support it.
