This paper reports on a particular approach to doing a doctorate in which the first author has used personal writing to increase the relevance, autonomy and quality of her learning and to allow her to present her study, her personal reactions to the study and the experiences that have led her to the study in one thesis. The personal writing consisted of reflective and critical journal and lette...

Although psychiatric advance directives (PADs) are grounded in the ethics of autonomy, the relationship between the two is unclear. PADs are legal documents that allow individuals with mental illness to record their treatment preferences should they become incompetent in the future. The relationship between autonomy and PADs has been discussed in ethical, legal, and philosophical terms, but has...

The aim of this article is to explore the impact of commercial marketing on personal autonomy. Several philosophers argue that marketing conflicts with ideals of autonomy or, at best, is neutral to these ideals. After qualifying our concept of marketing and introducing the distinctions between (i) divergent and convergent marketing and (ii) being autonomous and acting autonomously, we demonstra...

This paper reports on a PhD research which investigates the concept of teacher autonomy in the context of Turkish lower secondary schools. The study uses the English language teaching profession as a focus. There are two primary aims of this study: to explore the extent to which teachers of English exercise autonomy in relation to teaching and assessment, professional development, school manage...

A recent argument in favor of a free market in human organs claims that such a market enhances personal autonomy. I argue here that such a market would, on the contrary, actually compromise the autonomy of those most likely to sell their organs, namely, the least well off members of society. A Marxian-inspired notion of exploitation is deployed to show how, and in what sense, this is the case.

Instant messaging (IM) is prevalent among employees who prefer efficient, semisynchronous communications. This study focuses on instant messaging and electronic communication autonomy in the workplace by examining its impact on job satisfaction and creativity. The study finds, based on a linear regression, that electronic communication autonomy influences job satisfaction and creativity, specif...

The Personal Satellite Assistant (PSA) is a softball-sized flying robot designed to operate autonomously onboard manned spacecraft in pressurized micro-gravity environments. We describe how the Brahms multi-agent modeling and simulation environment in conjunction with a KAoS agent adjustable autonomy and teamwork approach will be used to support human-centered design and operation of

The present article reviews recent research on motivational factors that influence the success of personal goals. Although achieving progress on personal goals is made difficult by limitations in self-regulatory strength, it is argued that individuals who feel autonomous regarding their goals will benefit in distinct ways. The issue of autonomy concerns whether a goal reflects an individual’s i...