Everybody Has Their Own Image: Teacher Autonomy of the University Teachers

Abstract

Teacher autonomy is defined as teachers’ freedom to make their own decisions about the curriculum, their professional development, and their participation in the administrative decision-making processes. The term teacher autonomy is commonly discussed in the context of primary and secondary schools. However, it is also important to understand how faculty members perceive and experience their teacher autonomy to empower them professionally. As a result, the aim of this research is to understand how the university teachers define and experience teacher autonomy. The data of this basic qualitative research were collected through an open-ended survey and semi-structured interviews. The survey data were collected from nine participants and the interview data were collected from four participants. The data were analysed with thematic analysis. The results showed that teacher autonomy means being free to make decisions, taking responsibility, freedom and having the trust in the professionalism of a university teacher. The participants feel autonomous in all three dimensions of teacher autonomy. The approach of the management, collaboration, and professional development foster their teacher autonomy while work schedule, accreditation and inexperience limit their teacher autonomy as university teachers.