What is Agency?
Agency is a term that has gained significant attention in recent years, particularly among educators and researchers who emphasize the importance of providing students with a greater sense of ownership and competence in their learning journeys. This concept is not limited to education, as agency has relevance to anyone seeking to become more self-directed, confident, and able to adapt to the challenges of a complex and uncertain world. In essence, agency is the capacity for individuals to take control over their actions and learning, enabling them to make positive choices and enact effective behavior to meet their desired life goals.
Psychological Perspective
From a psychological perspective, agency involves a mindset where individuals feel autonomous and competent to make positive choices and enact effective behavior. This mindset is characterized by a sense of self-efficacy, where individuals believe they can achieve their goals with sustained effort and access needed resources. In educational institutions, agency translates into students taking more responsibility and empowerment to direct their own learning, setting personal goals, and actively engaging in shaping their educational experiences.
Behaviors of Agentic Students
Some common behaviors of agentic students include:
• Aspiring to ask more and better questions in class. • Communicating their learning needs and wants to teachers. • Identifying what is needed to meet the learning outcomes for their school courses. • Maintaining a mindset that they can achieve their goals with sustained effort and accessing needed resources. • Monitoring and evaluating their learning progress and making improvements when and where necessary. • Using resources that can enhance aspects of the learning process, such as learning strategies, techniques, and tools. • Actively seeking feedback from a range of sources, including teachers, peers, friends, and anyone who might know how to help them meet their learning goals. • Developing a growth mindset that allows them to learn from their mistakes and persist in the face of challenges.
Developing Agency in Schools: Implications for Educators
In recent years, the educational landscape has undergone significant changes, with the rapid emergence of artificial intelligence agents and a school curriculum that requires systematic reframing in both content and pedagogy. To support this changing scenario, teachers will need to adopt a more facilitative style of teaching to help students become self-directed and able to increasingly take responsibility for their academic outcomes. This approach is often referred to as autonomy supporting (AS), which is characterized by a coherent cluster of teacher-provided instructional behaviors that collectively communicate an interpersonal tone of support and understanding.
Autonomy-Supporting Teaching
Autonomy-supporting teaching behaviors include:
• Using informational, non-controlling language. • Communicating the purpose and value of the learning. • Acknowledging and accepting students’ expressions of negative effect. • Listening to students and encouraging them to ask questions. • Allowing students choices and preferences wherever possible on how they learn and the context of learning.
Potential Benefits of Agency
Research in neuroscience suggests that students learn better when they are actively engaged and motivated. Autonomy and agency are key components of creating a stimulating and engaging learning environment. For example, a study by Deci et al. (1991) found that students in classrooms with autonomy-supportive teachers displayed more intrinsic motivation, perceived competence, and self-esteem than did students in classrooms with controlling teachers.
Rise of Personalized Learning
The rise of personalized learning, especially with the rapid emergence of artificial intelligence agents, has created an educational landscape that can now meet individual student needs and preferences. Agency is an integral and viable capability that creates opportunities for students to choose their own path and pace of learning and become fully self-regulated. Furthermore, agency supports the development of 21st-century skills, such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration, by allowing students to make decisions and be accountable for their learning.
Importance of Agency for Adults
Agency is not limited to the young and school-based learning, but is also crucial for adults seeking to thrive and make progress in their work and life projects. Agency enables individuals to proactively take control in their lives, make things happen for themselves, and not just let life events and challenges happen to them. Agentic people are more confident in finding solutions to life’s challenges, feel they have more control over their lives, and tend to experience lower levels of stress and anxiety.
Benefits of Agency for Mental Health
Experiencing the positive results of agentic behavior can significantly boost self-esteem and self-efficacy, which are protective factors against mental-health issues. When individuals believe they can effectively navigate life challenges, it’s easier to find the resilience and persistence needed to overcome obstacles. Developing agency has become a salient educational focus, as the failure of our youngsters to develop this mindset and underpinning skill sets may not bode well for many.
Conclusion
In conclusion, agency is a vital concept that empowers self-directed learning and is essential for individuals to thrive in a complex and uncertain world. By adopting a more facilitative style of teaching and providing students with autonomy-supporting instructional behaviors, educators can help students develop agency and become self-directed learners. As individuals, we can also cultivate agency by taking control of our lives, making things happen for ourselves, and developing a growth mindset that allows us to learn from our mistakes and persist in the face of challenges. By doing so, we can experience the numerous benefits of agency and live a more fulfilling and meaningful life.
References
Deci, E. L., Vallerand, R. J., Pelletier, L. G., & Ryan, R. M. (1991). Perceived competence and autonomy: A review of the evidence. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 60(1), 105-115.
Dennis Sale. (2020). Creative Teachers: Self-directed Learners. Springer.
Dennis Sale. (2015). Creative Teaching: An Evidence-Based Approach. Springer.
Dennis Sale worked in the Singapore education system for 25 years as advisor, researcher and examiner. He coached over 15,000 teaching professionals and provided 100+ consultancies in the Asian region.