| Abstract | Empirical research on learner autonomy in institutional settings often involves students as research participants. Assuming learner autonomy is valuable, it should be considered not only the object of inquiry, but also an intended outcome for students involved in the research. In this, ethical learner autonomy research aligns with the interests of the field of Student Voice: research with the goal of elevating the perspectives of students and including them in educational decision-making. This article describes an inquiry into learner autonomy at a university in Japan, and discusses its methods in terms of Student Voice and the autonomy of its participants. Multimodal participatory methods enabled participants to take increasing ownership of the inquiry, resulting in insights that were informative to the field of learner autonomy, were of a quality that the university administration could act upon and enabled the participants to reframe previously shameful experiences as ‘rites of passage’. |
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