How teachers’ student voice practices affect student engagement and achievement: exploring choice, receptivity, and responsiveness to student voice as moderators

Abstract

Strategies that promote student voice have long been championed as effective ways to enhance student engagement and learning; however, little quantitative research has studied the relationship between student voice practices (SVPs) and student outcomes at the classroom level. Drawing on survey data with 1,751 middle and high school students from one urban district, this study examined how the SVP of seeking students’ input and feedback related to their academic engagement, agency, attendance, and grades. Findings revealed strong associations between this SVP and student engagement. Additionally, results showed that having just one teacher who uses the SVP is associated with significantly greater agency, better math grades, higher grade point averages, and lower absent rates than having no teachers who do so. In models testing interaction effects with choice, responsiveness, and receptivity to student voice, teachers’ receptivity was strongly associated with all outcomes. Few interaction effects were found. This study contributes compelling evidence of the impact of classroom SVPs and teacher receptivity to student voice on desired student outcomes.