Students’ agency profiles in relation to student-perceived teaching practices in university courses

• Published in: International journal of educational research Vol. 103; p. 101604
• Main Authors: Jääskelä, Päivikki, Poikkeus, Anna-Maija, Häkkinen, Päivi, Vasalampi, Kati, Rasku-Puttonen, Helena, Tolvanen, Asko
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 2020
• Subjects: higher education; latent profile analysis; student agency; student-centred learning; teaching practices; student-centred learning; higher education; student agency; latent profile analysis; teaching practices
• ISSN: 0883-0355; 1873-538X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijer.2020.101604

•Student agency resources were studied using a person-oriented approach.•Four agency profile groups were identified among university students.•Personal and relational agency were rated higher than participatory agency.•The profiles differed in experiences of trust, peer support and ease of participation.•Students experiencing high agency perceived their courses as more student-centred. This study addresses the gap in our understanding of the role of pedagogy in agency construction among higher education students. In the present study, profiles of students’ agency experiences were identified and analysed with respect to the students’ perceptions of teaching practices in their courses (i.e., student-centred learning activities, forms of instruction, and student-teacher roles). The Agency of University Students (AUS) Scale (Jääskelä et al., 2017) was used to assess the students’ experiences of their personal, relational, and participatory resources of agency. Agency profiles were found to be associated with students’ perceptions of teaching practices in the courses. The findings have implications for developing practices that promote agency construction in higher education.