Allowing learners to take some responsibility may seem obvious yet what is actually afforded to them, and how this process works, remains difficult to grasp. It is therefore essential to study the real objects of devolution and the roles played by the subjects involved. Devolution and Autonomy in Education questions the concept of devolution, introduced into the field of education in the 1980s from disciplinary didactics, and described in Guy Brousseau's Theory of Didactical Situations in Mathematics as: the act by which the teacher makes the student take responsibility for a learning situation (adidactic) or problem and accepts the consequences of this transfer.

The book revisits this concept through a variety of subject areas (mathematics, French, physical education, life sciences, digital learning, play) and educational domains (teaching, training, facilitation). Using these intersecting perspectives, this book also examines the purpose and timeline of the core process for thinking about autonomy and empowerment in education.