LEARNER VOICE AND STUDENT EMPOWERMENT IN UNIVERSITY EFL CLASSROOMS: EXPLORING TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS

Abstract

Learner voice and student empowerment are important aspects of student-centered learning, yet students’ active participation does not necessarily mean that they can influence decisions about their learning. This study explores university English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers’ perceptions of learner voice and student empowerment, focusing on their understandings of students’ roles, reported strategies for encouraging participation, and perceived opportunities and limitations for student involvement. A qualitative research design was employed, involving 17 university EFL teachers from public and private universities in Bandung and Cimahi, Indonesia. Data were collected through open-ended questionnaires and semi-structured interviews and analyzed thematically following Braun and Clarke’s approach. The findings indicate that teachers generally perceived students as active participants, learning partners, and contributors to classroom activities. They reported using sharing activities, group discussions, assignments, guidance, and motivational strategies to encourage student involvement. However, their accounts provided more explicit evidence of opportunities for participation than of students’ influence over learning-related decisions. Their reported efforts were mainly associated with informing and consulting students, while opportunities for shared decision-making, including decisions about learning goals, classroom activities, and assessment, were less clearly described. These findings highlight the distinction between providing opportunities for students to express their views and enabling them to exercise meaningful influence over their learning. The study suggests that promoting learner voice in university EFL classrooms requires not only encouraging participation but also listening to students’ perspectives and considering their contributions in educational decision-making.