Relational Autonomy in Teacher Education: Deepening Teacher Quality through Indigenous and Decolonizing Education

Abstract

Drawing from transnational and critical studies in Indigenous and decolonizing education, this paper argues for relational autonomy as a key dimension of teacher quality. Bridging feminist critiques of autonomy and Indigenous and decolonial conceptions of personhood, it defines relational autonomy as the personal and social factors that allow individuals to take principled action to benefit their communities when applied to teacher education, relational autonomy helps us understand that good teachers are those who ably support students while transmitting a love of learning, an ethic of care, and a sense of responsibility. The article summarizes the strengths of relational autonomy. The article concludes by discussing how relational autonomy might enrich and decolonize efforts to conceptualize, administer, and evaluate teacher preparation programs going forward.