Middle School Teachers' Perceptions of the Context and Level of Student Agency

Abstract

Objectives This study was conducted to discover substantive and formal theories about the contexts and levels at which student agency, which has recently been recognized as a future educational competency, is manifested. Methods In order to uncover and reproduce the concept of student agency as a social and contextual product through teachers' perspectives and voices, the data from in-depth interviews with five middle school teachers about student agency were analyzed in the order of initial coding, focused coding, and theoretical coding according to constructivist grounded theory. Results The findings revealed that teachers categorized student agency as agency in learning and life and agency in the individual and community, with differing perceptions of the orientation, noting the timing specificity of middle school students undergoing major transitions in learning and life, and that personal and external factors contribute to the gap in agency among middle school students. They emphasized the need for teachers to take agency, such as running phased and customized lessons through cross-curricular activities and connecting life and learning. In particular, students who have experienced agency have the power to extend their personal agency to other contexts, accumulate opportunities for continuous growth, spread agency to others, and empower communities. Most importantly, we captured a shared perspective that the transfer and expansion of student agency, when supported by committed guidance and support from teachers, can be aggregated and amplified at the individual and community levels. Conclusions The findings suggest that the realization of student agency requires the convergence of a variety of factors, including personal, home environmental, and socio-contextual aspects, and recommend further research on teacher agency to bring student agency to the forefront.