My dissertation topic focuses on student voice in the classroom and how it may benefit children's learning. However, I am looking for articles/theorists that reject the importance of student voice in the classroom.
There wasn't much last time I looked, but it's been a few years. I think what you will mostly find is authors who support voice answering potential critics. When I discussed misconceptions, limitations, and other responses to student voice (and agency) in my project, I found these articles helpful for the way they responded. Perhaps you will find someone directly rejecting voice in one or more of the bibliographies of these articles. [And in case it's in any way useful to your project, check out my entry on "Voice" from the Encyclopedia of Action Research! You can download it on my page.] Hope this helps a little!
Biddulph, M. (2011). Articulating student voice and facilitating curriculum agency. The Curriculum Journal, 22(3), 381-399.
Cook-Sather, A. (2006). Sound, Presence, and Power: "Student Voice" in Educational Research and Reform. Curriculum Inquiry, 36, 359-390.
Cook-Sather, A. (2010). Through Students' Eyes: Students offer fresh insights into social justice issues in schools. Journal of Staff Development, 31(4), 42-45.
Hadfield, M., & Haw, K. (2007). 'Voice', young people and action research. Educational Action Research, 9(3), 485-502.
There was never active opposition to the importance of student voice in the learning process; however the importance of student voice has gained importance in the last few decades. You may find difference of opinion in the manner and extent to give importance to student voice but it would be hard to find a theorist/scholar who out-rightly opposes its importance.
None that I'm aware of. The reason is that the idea of student voice is appealing, based as it is on the notion of democratic classrooms in which students and teachers work together for a common goal. Who would dare to challenge this idea?
My sense, however, is that students don't want such responsibility. Perhaps, as various scholars have argued, they have been conditioned by the educational system to leave the teacher in charge. But I doubt this. Most students understand that teachers actually have very little control over anything. Curriculum? No. Testing? No. Homework? No.
Moreover, the commodification of education, along with the influence of neoliberalism, has removed all but faint vestiges of teacher autonomy. Students have accepted their role as consumers, demoting teachers to the role of clerks. To appease our consumers and to avoid the discomfort of pervasive differences in student performance, we have facilitated grade inflation and the dumbing down of curricula.
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