Finding a voice as a student

Abstract

The idea of finding a voice as a student is open to alternative interpretations. Finding a voice could refer not only to a student developing an individual voice of his/her own, but also to students developing a collaborative voice, whether pedagogically, in relation to their university, or in relation to the broader higher education system or wider society. These different interpretations are interrelated rather than oppositional. The student might find his/her individual voice through collaborating with others, and students might find a collaborative voice through the interaction and combination of each of their individual voices. The focus of this chapter is on the voice of the student as a person in her/himself rather than on students developing a collective voice. The reason for this individualistic approach is not to deny the validity of finding a voice in the other sense just noted, but rather to develop a particular trajectory for the formation and evolution of a student's individual voice.