How to Write an Active Vs Passive Voice for Education

In education research, the choice between active and passive voice often dictates whether the focus is on the teacher's agency or the student's experience. Writing for education journals requires a strategic balance to maintain professional objectivity while clearly identifying who is responsible for instructional interventions.

What Is an Active Vs Passive Voice in Education?

Active voice occurs when the subject of the sentence performs the action (e.g., 'The teacher implemented scaffolding'), whereas passive voice occurs when the subject receives the action (e.g., 'Scaffolding was implemented'). In education, active voice is increasingly preferred for describing pedagogical choices, while passive voice remains a staple for describing standardized testing procedures and large-scale data collection.

Before You Start

• Identify your target journal's style guide (e.g., APA is standard for the Journal of Educational Research).
• Determine the 'agent' in your study—is it the researcher, the classroom teacher, or the students?
• Review your methodology to see if the focus should be on the process or the person performing it.
• Check your institution's requirements for 'I' and 'we' usage in action research projects.

Use Active Voice for Theoretical Frameworks

When discussing educational theories like Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development, use active voice to show how the theory explains the learning process.

Example: Vygotsky's theory emphasizes the role of social interaction in cognitive development.

Tip: Avoid saying 'It is emphasized by Vygotsky' as it weakens the theoretical connection.

Employ Passive Voice for Standardized Procedures

When describing how a standardized assessment like the Woodcock-Johnson IV was administered, passive voice keeps the focus on the protocol rather than the proctor.

Example: The assessment was administered in a quiet room to ensure student focus.

Tip: Passive voice is useful in the 'Methods' section to emphasize replicability.

Highlight Teacher Agency with Active Verbs

In action research or case studies, use active voice to clearly describe the instructional decisions made during the intervention.

Example: The instructor differentiated the curriculum by providing three levels of reading materials.

Tip: Using 'The instructor' instead of 'The curriculum was differentiated' clarifies who made the pedagogical shift.

Use Active Voice to Describe Student Outcomes

When reporting findings, active voice makes the results of a study more dynamic and easier to follow for practitioners.

Example: Students who participated in the peer-tutoring program showed a 15% increase in literacy scores.

Tip: Active voice helps readers quickly identify the impact of your educational intervention.

Shift to Passive Voice to Avoid Excessive First-Person

If your department discourages the use of 'I,' use passive voice to describe your data analysis steps without sounding repetitive.

Example: Qualitative interviews were transcribed and coded using thematic analysis.

Tip: This maintains a formal tone when you want to avoid saying 'I coded' repeatedly.

Clarify Instructional Scaffolding with Active Voice

When explaining how a teacher supports a learner, active voice demonstrates the direct relationship between the support and the student's progress.

Example: The teacher modeled the problem-solving strategy before the students began independent practice.

Tip: Active voice is superior for describing the 'Gradual Release of Responsibility' model.

Use Passive Voice for Institutional Policies

When discussing broad school district policies or state mandates, passive voice reflects the systemic nature of these rules.

Example: Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) are mandated by federal law for students with disabilities.

Tip: Passive voice helps de-emphasize specific individuals when discussing large-scale regulations.

Review for 'To Be' Verbs in Discussion Sections

In your discussion or conclusion, convert weak passive sentences into active ones to make your recommendations for the field more persuasive.

Example: Schools should adopt restorative justice practices to reduce suspension rates.

Tip: Active voice makes your call to action for educators much more impactful.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Overusing passive voice in the literature review, which makes the history of educational thought feel stagnant.
• Using active voice when the 'agent' is unknown, such as 'The students learned the material' when you actually mean 'The material was presented.'
• Dangling modifiers caused by switching to passive voice (e.g., 'After observing the class, the lesson was changed').
• Using passive voice to hide a lack of specific pedagogical evidence.
• Inconsistent voice within a single paragraph describing a classroom intervention.

Pro Tips

• Read your abstract aloud; if it feels heavy or slow, you likely have too much passive voice.
• In APA style, use 'we' for a multi-author paper but 'the researchers' or passive voice if you must remain anonymous.
• Keep the 'learner' as the subject of the sentence whenever you are discussing student-centered outcomes.
• Use active voice when citing specific authors (e.g., 'Dewey argues...') to give credit clearly.
• Reserve passive voice for describing the 'Materials' or 'Participants' subsections of your paper.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does APA allow active voice in education papers?

Yes, the APA Style Manual strongly encourages the use of active voice, particularly when describing the actions of the researchers or the participants in a study.

When should an education student use 'I' in a thesis?

Use 'I' in reflective practice sections, action research, or when the style guide explicitly permits first-person to avoid the awkwardness of the third-person 'the researcher'.

Is passive voice more 'scientific' for educational psychology?

While it was once considered more objective, modern educational psychology journals prefer active voice because it clearly identifies variables and human interactions.

How do I change 'The test was taken by the students' to active voice?

Simply make the students the subject: 'The students took the test.' This is more direct and focuses on the learners.

Related Resources

• How to Write an Active Vs Passive Voice for Computer Science

• How to Write an Active Vs Passive Voice for Biology

• How to Write an Active Vs Passive Voice for Psychology

• How to Write a Sentence Rewriting for Education

• How to Write Topic Sentences for Education

• How to Write a Paragraph Structure for Education

• Find Peer-Reviewed Sources with Sourcely

• Polish Your Writing with Revise AI