Pre Service Teachers Understanding of Agency in the Classroom
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Authors
Gross, Elaina
Issue Date
2025-04-03
Type
Language
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Abstract
Description
The purpose of this project is to seek to understand what pre-service k-12 teachers
believe or know about achieving youth agency in the classroom setting. Youth agency can be
defined as “the desire and ability of young people to make decisions and drive change—in their
own lives, in their communities, and in their larger spheres of influence. Agency is a right that
allows young people to become the architects of their own future” (Youth Agency). Within
education programs, youth agency in the way it is defined above is not often a prominent
discussion topic or idea commonly engaged with. That does not mean it does not have a role in
child development or education. There are different forms of agency across different teachers,
but it may not be something educators are consciously acknowledging or thinking about. This
project works to challenge that narrative. Additionally, the degree to which teachers view
fostering youth agency in their classrooms as a goal would likely shape their choices around
teaching and how they interact with students. These beliefs about youth agency may inform their
teaching practices and be shaped by perceived barriers to fostering agency in the
classroom—each of which will be asked about through interview processes with pre-service
teachers in this project. .
This project was inspired by the student researcher’s (Elaina Gross) passion for both
education and sociology which combined, ask her to explore how the education system impacts
those within it (both teachers and students). The student researcher has a passion for
understanding structures that impact the role of education in society and the disparate outcomes
and experiences youth have within the structure due to variation in school systems, teaching
styles, and school resources. Combining education and sociology led the student research to
consider the extent to which pre-service teachers have thought about student agency in the
classroom and if it is something they consider important in their teaching identity and practices..
Thus, understanding pre-service teachers’ beliefs about youth agency allows for clearer
knowledge of how theoretical ideologies shape practical applications in the classroom.