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Insights & Reflections
In this Insights and Reflections blog article, I take a look at the 2023 paper by Simon Marginson from the University of Oxford on student self-formation, where students actively shape their own educational experiences. I also reflect on a related book chapter on student development, highlighting how cultural influences affect learning agency. Additionally, I highlight the Student Effective Learning Framework (SELF) from Saint Ignatius College, drawing parallels to similar efforts in secondary education aimed at student empowerment. To wrap up, I feature a video where Simon Marginson discusses the importance of student-driven education and how students, both individually and collectively, can shape their educational experiences.
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Estimated reading time: 3 minutes (58:36 Video content)
Simon Marginson‘s 2023 paper in Studies in Higher Education explores a significant shift in how students engage with their education. The paper, “๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ฌ๐๐ฅ๐-๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง: ๐๐ง ๐๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ข๐ ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ง ๐ก๐ข๐ ๐ก๐๐ซ ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง”, discusses how students increasingly shape their own educational experiences.
What does ‘self-formation’ mean? Marginson highlights the growing trend where students are not just passive learners but active participants in forming their academic and personal identities.ย Research on student Agency and Self-Formation can offer important insights into the evolving relationship between students and institutions. By focusing on self-formation, students are empowered to take ownership of their learning and development.
In expanding on Simon Marginson’s work on student self-formation, further insights into student agency can be found in a recent book chapter by Yang, Lee, and Oldac (2023), titled Agency and Student Development in Higher Education: A Cross-Cultural and Cross-Disciplinary Exploration. This chapter delves into how students develop and grow throughout their higher education journey, emphasising the significant role of agency in this process.
While much has been discussed about student development, the exact mechanisms remain less explored. The chapter focuses on ‘I-world interactions,’ which describe how individuals interact with their environments, shaping their educational experiences. Drawing from diverse cultural and philosophical perspectivesโincluding German idealism, Chinese Confucianism, and Islamic Sunni thoughtโthe authors underscore the importance of recognising, exercising, and enhancing student agency.
Student self-formation is sustained by, and develops, the will to learn and an epistemically engaged student agency that is autonomous and reflexive.
This research complements Marginsonโs emphasis on self-formation, showing how students actively shape their learning environments both within and outside university settings. By fostering environments that enhance agency, universities can contribute to more engaged and self-empowered learners, reinforcing the critical link between agency and student-driven development in higher education.
Exploring Self-Formation through Expert Insight
To gain deeper insights into the concept of student self-formation, listening to the expert himself can be highly valuable. In this video by the Centre for Global Higher Education, published in February 2022, Professor Simon Marginson emphasises that students, both individually and collectively, are the primary agents in higher educationโnot governments, institutions, or even teachers. Marginson highlights how fostering students’ agency and self-formation is central to improving student outcomes and enhancing their overall higher education experience.
The discussion of student self-formation in higher education, as highlighted in Simon Marginson’s work, resonates deeply beyond universities and speaks to broader educational values, even at the secondary school level. The Student Effective Learning Framework (SELF) developed by Saint Ignatius College Geelong (Australia) exemplifies this. By guiding educators to focus on the holistic development of studentsโintellectually, emotionally, and sociallyโthis approach reinforces Marginson’s idea that student agency is fundamental. Applauding these efforts, it’s clear that institutions, from schools to universities, must reconsider their core mission: they exist for students, the true purpose of education.
Sources and helpful links:
Marginson, S. (2023). Student self-formation: an emerging paradigm in higher education. Studies in Higher Education, 49(4), 748โ762. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2023.2252826
Yang, L., Lee, S., Oldac, Y.I. (2023). Agency and Student Development in Higher Education: A Cross-Cultural and Cross-Disciplinary Exploration. In: Oldac, Y.I., Yang, L., Lee, S. (eds) Student Agency and Self-Formation in Higher Education. Palgrave Studies in Global Higher Education. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-44885-0_3
Student Effective learning Framework (2024). Ignatius College Geelong.
