The question of autonomy in education has been a matter of debate, both within formal education (as formulated in 1870) and in the less common version of learning known as unschooling (Holt, 1972). Whilst formal education tends towards an arbitrary curriculum based on age, unschooling focuses on the autonomy of the learner and their ability to make choices regarding their education (Harris, 2018; Eden, 2024; Ricci, 2012; Illich, 1971; Zaldívar, 2015). However, the topic of autonomy also raises philosophical questions regarding its format, which then leaves the question of how to incorporate greater autonomy into an educational setting.
This thesis has explored the answer to the question ‘To what extent can we have autonomy in learning?’ initially through the comparison of formal education and unschooling and the problematising of the concept of meritocracy, the political and economic challenges and the restrictions that have been placed on children (Ball and Bowe, 2020; Brown and Tannock, 2009). It then discussed the three foundational ideas of the nature of freedom by conducting a detailed analysis of four key thinkers, alongside recent work which has responded to their philosophies. Firstly, looking at Kant and the concept of positive liberty, followed by analysing the work of Nietzsche and Foucault on the concept of determinism and mastery and finally by investigating the work of Freire on the concept of liberation and humanisation (Kant, 1788; Nietzsche, 1887; Foucault, 1987; Freire, 1968). This led to the problematization of the vision of autonomy in education and specifically, how this could work within an educational setting. An original educational model was created, based on the work of Paulo Freire, which provided the reader with a step-by-step method to incorporate the philosophical concept of autonomy into an educational setting, resulting in greater learner responsibility for the process of exploration, amalgamation and creation of learning experiences. The model can be applied in either a formal educational setting or an unschooling environment.
