Student silence as voice: A reflection on boundaries and responsibilities of advocating for student participation in HE

Multiple rounds of implementingthe student voice for social justice (SVSJ) pedagogical method in Hong Kong SAR and mainland China catalysed rethinking student voice notions in higher education (HE) which often include participation in its conceptualisations. This understanding makes student voice notions linked to active voice expressions. However, promoting student voice becomes ethically complicated when considering student autonomy and agency as fundamental principles of student voice. This article challenges the dominant notions of student voice as participation in micro (classroom) and meso (institutional) HE contexts. We explore the boundaries between advocacy and coercion and argue for rethinking student voice conceptualisations (recognising and validating silence-as-voice) in the classroom and adopting reflective practices to raise the critical consciousness of educators. Likewise, institutional and wider academic inquiries into student silence-as-voice are needed to understand the reasons behind silence and proactively engage with student populations to increase the multiplicity of student voices in HE. Copyright © 2025 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.