This resource entry includes two articles in a series on the concept of “student agency” and the impact of the ways the term in understood and applied on equity. This is a thought-provoking series that will interest many stakeholders, from educators to researchers.
In the first article, What Do You Mean When You Say “Student Agency”? the author explores the historical research base for the term “student agency”. She identifies several concepts consistent across the literature and outlines ways for educators to help students:
- Set advantageous goals
- Initiate action toward those goals
- Reflect on and regulate progress toward those goals
- Believe in self-efficacy
The second part of the series, Toward a Culturally-Responsive Understanding of Student Agency explores questions educators should consider to make sure they are not applying and thinking about student agency only through a dominant cultural frame of reference. She asks educators to consider how a student’s identity—including gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and other factors—might shape their expression of agency.
Source Organization: Education Reimagined