The author offers an international law perspective on a specific issue of self-determination of indigenous peoples. The article begins with the definition of indigenous peoples, then proceeds to self-determination in general. The last section examines the forms of indigenous selfdetermination and its meaning for indigenous peoples. Indigenous peoples have a right to self-determination which allows them for control over their destiny, their livelihoods, their culture and customs. It may be realized, most of all, in the form of autonomy or self-governance. As such, self-determination allows indigenous peoples to participate in decision making in matters that affect their rights.

The purpose of the study was to determine differences in self-determination between high school students with and without disabilities and to determine the influence of three predictors of self-determination in vocational education: gender, group and grade point average. Research was done by comparing students with the method of pairs. The results show that students with disabilities have a lower level of self-determination than their peers; significant predictors of self-determination are group and grade point average. Results reveal important fields of intervention for self-determination development, especially for students with disabilities in vocational education. This is also the first study of student self-determination in Slovenian vocational education with specific cultural and education background.

The article discusses the factors that support the motivation of teachers to implement school projects. Based on Self-Determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985, 2000), we present specific factors that influence and stimulate the motivation of teachers with regard to the perception of autonomy or control. What is essential for autonomous motivation is the satisfaction of basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence), whereas external incentives have an impact on controlled types of motivation. The results also point to important motivational factors underlying participation in school projects, that is, the perception of the personal significance and meaningfulness of the project.

Many authors have spoken against controlling environments and in favour of autonomous ones. In order to estimate perceived autonomy levels in the classroom, we decided to compare teachers’ perceptions with students’ ones, gaining a more accurate idea of the autonomy levels present in the classroom. The study participants (231 students, 18 teachers) provided data which showed how the teachers’ perceptions differ from the students’ ones in all cases, generally the teachers rating autonomy levels higher than the students. We also found indicators of differences present among teachers of the same subject areas as well as in terms of the students’ gender, school and age.