Methodology to Study Teacher Agency: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Abstract

<p style="text-align: justify;">Teacher agency is a set of actions that a teacher takes beyond what is generally expected of them. The concept merits examination, as agency can bolster teachers’ ability to set and achieve professional development goals. To better understand how to study, and use, this relatively new concept in the academic literature, a systematic review of 164 publications written by researchers from 41 countries was conducted in order to document the research approaches used to study teacher agency, the participants whose agency was documented in a school setting, the methodology used and the type of analysis performed. The study found that teacher agency has been documented qualitatively in the form of case studies comprising interviews of a small number of individuals, with no consensus in terms of interview protocol. In most cases, the results are analyzed using emergent coding. The way that agency is documented varies but is most often underpinned by an ecological approach.</p>

The effects of international mobility on teachers' power of curriculum agency

“…The following diagram adapted by Priestley et al (2013) from Emirbayer and Mische (1998), offers the key dimensions of the teacher agency model. In a review of the literature on teacher agency, Cong‐Lem (2021) asserted that the ecological framework was the most dominantly used by authors. The use of this model as a frame to explore teacher curriculum agency through the ERASMUS+ programme assists us in deciphering the complexity of the interplay of agency, teacher and curriculum making.…”

A Comprehensive Systematic Review on the Multifaceted Factors Influencing Teacher Flourishing

“…Teachers must fulfill various responsibilities as part of their careers (Deschênes & Parent, 2022). The inherent responsibilities associated with the teaching profession can potentially induce heightened stress levels or trigger burnout among teachers.…”

Developing Scenarios for Exploring Teacher Agency in Universities: A Multimethod Study

“…The importance of teacher agency for effective teaching practices has long been recognized (Aspbury-Miyanishi, 2022;Priestley et al, 2012;Pyhältö et al, 2013). Although most research on teacher agency relates to primary and secondary education (Cong-Lem, 2021), in recent years it has also become clear that teacher agency has a critical impact on teaching and learning at universities (Kusters et al, 2023;Vähäsantanen et al, 2020). At its core, teacher agency implies that lecturers shape their responsiveness to problematic situations (Biesta & Tedder, 2007).…”