Student autonomy: An organizational variable or educational objective?
This article is the outgrowth of a study commissioned by an Île-de-France municipality awarded the Cités éducatives (national program) label, which was created to develop local partnerships for “successful education.” The research was conducted with a wide range of participants and focused on a program of individual assistance for students: Accompagnement au travail personnel (ATP). Under this program, a junior high school, an association and a municipal department work together to foster autonomy in students. The article analyzes uncertainty surrounding the notion of autonomy and differences in how the notion is understood by the different stakeholders involved. It demonstrates organizational issues raised by the consensus between partners’ structures, specifically in terms of the centrality of autonomy and the marked difference between individuals’ conceptions and understanding of autonomy in education.