Abstract
<p style="text-align:justify">Contemporary studies related to teacher autonomy mostly deal with research into how autonomy is perceived by teachers and which variables it is associated with. On the other hand, there are very few studies dealing with how teachers’ instructional autonomy over the curriculum is reflected in the education process. The aim of this study is to reveal in depth the practices carried out in the context of instructional autonomy by science teachers who have different levels of autonomy. The study is based on data gathered from eight teachers employed at different schools in the province of Izmir in Turkey. Interviews, observations and documents were used for collecting the data. The results reveal that while teachers with high instructional autonomy successfully apply contemporary teaching methods, alternative evaluation techniques, high-order thinking skills and effective classroom management, teachers with low instructional autonomy fall short in all of these areas.</p>
Highlights
The concept of autonomy became a topic of discussion especially during the 20-25-year period after the Second World War, and it was frequently the subject of educational research towards the end of the 20th century (Little, 1999)
The aim of this study is to reveal in depth the practices carried out in the context of instructional autonomy by science teachers who have different levels of autonomy
It is seen that these studies concentrate on “school and learner autonomy (Little, 1995; Öztürk, 2011), whereas in the last 20 years, the number of studies related to teacher autonomy has increased (Benson, 2010; Benson & Huang, 2008; Burkert & Schwienhorst, 2008; Cakir & Balcikanli, 2012; Dikilitas & Mumford, 2019; Ding, 2009; Dymoke & Harrison, 2006; Hong & Youngs, 2016; Nguyen & Walkinshaw, 2018)
Summary
The concept of autonomy became a topic of discussion especially during the 20-25-year period after the Second World War, and it was frequently the subject of educational research towards the end of the 20th century (Little, 1999). Studies related to teacher autonomy have an important place in the development of educational environments (Brunetti, 2001; Friedman, 1999; Kuku & Taylor 2002; Pearson & Hall, 1993; Pearson & Moomaw, 2005). An environment that enables teachers to make their own decisions and implement these decisions freely will improve the quality of educational services (Öztürk, 2011). In such an environment, it is very important for varied and productive practices to be carried out for an effective teaching process. The question of whether teachers’ possession of low or high levels of autonomy makes a difference to the practices that they carry out in the process is an important one
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