The present study presents a review of the concept of autonomy in Polish educational institutions. The ultimate aim is in fact to verify the effects of educational reforms upon the conceptual systems of secondary school graduates through a cross-sectional study. Therefore, special attention is paid to the dynamics of learners’ personal theories, from whose perspective the notion of learner independence is analysed. Data collected from learners will be investigated within Conceptual Metaphor Theory, but results will also be compared to teachers’ perceptions. Another important issue in the study is to present a context-bound definition of the notion of autonomy, that is, in order to ascertain the feasibility of fostering learner autonomy in the Polish context, based on its recent socio-political changes.