Student Agency in Selected Primary and Middle Schools in Ethiopia: Teachers’ Conceptualization, Instructional Perception, and Reported Practice

Abstract

This study explores teachers’ conceptualization and reports practices of student agency in two
primary and middle case schools. A case study design that employed quantitative and qualitative
methods was employed. Data was collected from a total of 123 teachers (M=76, F=47) . The
qualitative data collected from 14 purposefully selected interviewees were transcribed, coded, and
categorized into themes, whereas the quantitative data collected from 109 randomly selected teachers
using a questionnaire was screened and analyzed using mean and standard deviation. Teachers
conceptualized student agency in terms of student ability, teachers’ pedagogy, and school system
capacities. The findings further indicate that teachers’ current practices are shaped by gaps between
theory and practice (praxis), stemming from unclear theoretical grounding, constrained teacher
agency, absence of reflective practice, and insufficient effort to address ingrained misconceptions.
Teachers perceived instructional practices as largely traditional, causing stasis in student-
centeredness and student agency development. Participants attributed the observed instructional
stasis mainly to teachers’ pedagogical skill gaps and lack of readiness, student passivity or lack of
interest, and school structural barriers. At a time when student agency is highly critical for student
learning and concerns about schools’ and teachers’ responsiveness to student agency in light of
advancements and diversities for student learning opportunities are growing, the paper emphasizes a
coherent effort by educational policy, curriculum, teachers’ professional development, and parents to
enhance student agency and learning with responsibility.