Aug 2026· Disciplinary and Interdisciplinary Science Education Research· Vol 8· 0 citations· 67 references
Abstract
Student agency is currently gaining attention in educational research as an important competency that current students should embody. However, synthesis of studies exploring student agency is limited, thereby affecting effective adoption and promotion of agency among students in classrooms. This review synthesized the different conceptualizations of agency in various contexts, the various pedagogies used to promote agency, and how agency is developed and enabled. The study used a meta-synthesis design and followed the PRISMA protocol to systematically search and screen studies. Content analysis was performed to analyze the qualitative data of each article. The review identified a range of conceptualizations across sociocultural, psychological, sociological, cultural anthropology, and asymmetrical materialist frameworks, each illuminating how agency emerges through dialogic interaction, identity negotiation, and purposeful engagement with science. The pedagogical approaches that promoted agency were those that emphasized open-ended inquiry, dialogic teaching, and community- and place-based learning. Socio-cultural and sociological lenses emphasize co-constructed meaning-making and identity negotiation, while cultural anthropology and psychological frameworks highlight the role of real-world engagement, personal relevance, confidence, and relational support in fostering agency. These results imply that science and environmental educators should rethink designing lessons and curriculum that provide sustained opportunities for open-ended inquiry, dialogue, and engagement with locally and socially relevant issues to promote agency among students.
This study explores the metacognitive strategies of education students in educational research writing using a learner-centered perspective grounded in Flavell’s metacognitive theory (1979) and Zimmerman’s self-regulated learning (SRL) model (2000). Employing a qualitative phenomenological design, data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with ten purposely selected fourth-year education students with direct experience in research writing. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to interpret the data. Findings reveal four (4) key themes: education students’ perceptions and application of metacognitive strategies in research writing, metacognitive challenges encountered by education students in the planning, execution, and writing stages, learner-centered instructional approaches fostering or hindering the enactment of metacognitive regulation essential to research competence, and education students' reflections and learning Adaptation. Results indicate that while students demonstrate strong conceptual understanding of metacognition, their regulatory practices remain largely reactive rather than proactive, particularly in complex tasks such as synthesis and data analysis. Emotional challenges, peer collaboration, and instructor feedback were also found to significantly shape students’ metacognitive engagement. The study concludes that research writing serves as a developmental space for strengthening self-regulated learning, although students require stronger instructional scaffolding to enhance strategic and emotional regulation. The study recommends structured reflection, explicit strategy instruction, and targeted feedback should be integrated to support the transfer of metacognitive skills.
Jane M. Malit, Jenelyn T. Peña, Hazel M. Bautista· International Journal of Lea...· 0 citations
This study examines how active pedagogical methodologies contribute to students’ comprehensive development across cognitive, affective, social, ethical, and practical dimensions, extending the analysis beyond academic performance outcomes.
A qualitative integrative hermeneutic review was conducted using a corpus of 42 scholarly sources retrieved from Scopus, Web of Science, ERIC, SciELO, and Redalyc, supplemented by recognized theoretical monographs. The study followed a transparent documentary selection protocol—including contextual reading, thematic categorization, theoretical triangulation, interpretive synthesis, and qualitative appraisal—without claiming systematic-review compliance or meta-analytic status.
Analysis of the 42-source corpus identifies five interrelated developmental categories produced by active pedagogy: cognitive, affective, social, ethical, and practical. Methodologies including project-based learning, service-learning, cooperative learning, flipped classroom, and self-directed learning contribute to comprehensive student formation when sustained by pedagogical scaffolding, assessment coherence, teacher preparation, and institutional capacity. Effects are conditional rather than automatic, and implementation risks—including student anxiety, inequality reproduction, and institutional constraint—are documented across categories.
The study proposes an original five-category interpretive model that articulates dispersed theoretical and empirical contributions into a middle-range analytical framework for active pedagogy, integrating self-determination theory, experiential learning, transformative learning, and communities of practice within a single interpretive architecture.
The model offers an operational basis for curriculum design, teacher professional development, and institutional quality assessment in higher education. For Latin American and Ecuadorian contexts specifically, active pedagogy should be implemented as situated curricular design embedded in structures of equity, interculturality, and democratic participation—not as isolated classroom innovation.
Johan Manuel Méndez Reyes, Pedro González-Rivera, Hugo Fernando Iñiguez Magallanes et al.· Frontiers in Education· 0 citations
This study explores the experiences of Social Studies teachers in using Project Based Learning (PBL) in higher education institutions during Academic Year 2023–2024 as a basis for developing an instructional guide. Guided by an interpretative qualitative research approach, the study sought to answer two central concerns: (1) the stories teachers tell about how they use PBL in teaching Social Studies, and (2) the similarities and differences observed in PBL teaching among Social Studies teachers. Data were gathered through semi structured interviews with six Social Studies teachers from the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of the Visayas and were analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings revealed that teachers commonly use PBL to bridge theory and society, promote active participation and collaboration, and implement instruction through intentional planning and reflective practice. While teachers shared a common pedagogical foundation grounded in student centered and real world learning, differences in implementation emerged due to personal teaching pathways and contextual factors such as class size, subject matter, student readiness, institutional support, and available resources. Despite these variations, strong departmental alignment and shared curricular expectations contributed to consistency in PBL practices across the institution. The study concludes that Project Based Learning in Social Studies is both a shared and adaptive instructional practice anchored in common principles yet responsive to diverse teaching contexts. Based on these findings, the study recommends sustained professional development, strengthened institutional support, and the development of a flexible instructional guide that builds on teachers’ lived experiences. Future research may extend this inquiry by examining students’ perspectives and the long term impacts of PBL on learning outcomes in higher education.
Karen M. Dilao· International journal of res...· 0 citations
Student agency is a construct of growing interest for researchers wishing to better understand and foster students' active participation in their school life. The purpose of this scoping review was to analyse quantitative and qualitative studies carried out in secondary education contexts, for exploring the studies' main characteristics and methodologies, student agency's definitions and the variables associated with student agency. We searched and selected studies on student agency published in two databases (Scopus and PsycINFO) following the PRISMA‐ScR guidelines. To address our purpose, we conducted a thematic analysis of student agency definitions and a narrative analysis of the main characteristics, methodologies and correlates of student agency. The main review's findings showed that quantitative studies relied primarily on students' perspectives while qualitative studies more often included both students and teachers' voices. Coherently, in defining student agency, quantitative studies focused primarily on its individual, active and transformative components, whereas qualitative studies addressed its dynamic and interactive nature. The results' discussion provides an overview of the state of the art in the field and points to the most relevant gaps that future research needs to address.
Rationale for this study:
This study addresses the lack of a comprehensive synthesis of how student agency is defined, measured, and studied in empirical research conducted in secondary education contexts.
Why the new findings matter:
The findings offer conceptual and methodological insights and highlight gaps between how student agency is theoretically defined and how it is empirically investigated.
Implications for educational researchers and policy makers:
For practitioners and policy‐makers, the findings underscore the importance of instructional practices, curriculum design and teacher beliefs in fostering student agency. For researchers, the review points to the need for multi‐informant rigorous measures, and for integrative conceptual approaches able to capture the individual, relational and contextual nature of student agency.
Maddalena Vavassori, Valentina Grazia, Luisa Molinari· Revista de educación· 0 citations
This study examined the effects of differentiated instruction on secondary-level learners in Social Studies and the barriers experienced by teachers in its implementation. Guided by Multiple Intelligence Theory and organized through the Input-Process-Output framework, the study aimed to develop an intervention framework that could strengthen differentiated instruction practices. A qualitative exploratory research design was employed at Emilio Aguinaldo College. Seven regular secondary school teachers with experience in differentiated instruction were selected through purposive sampling. Data were gathered using a researcher-made questionnaire, a structured interview guide, and demographic profile sheets. The participants’ responses were transcribed, coded, and interpreted through thematic analysis. The findings revealed that differentiated instruction positively influenced learners’ academic performance, student engagement, classroom behavior, and skill progress. It supported personalized learning, improved comprehension, increased participation and confidence, promoted collaboration and autonomy, and strengthened communication, critical thinking, problem-solving, and social interaction. However, teachers encountered difficulties in assessing learners’ understanding, managing large classes, preparing differentiated lessons, designing rubrics and assessments, accessing adequate resources, managing limited instructional time, and adapting strategies to varied learner capabilities and interests. The study concluded that differentiated instruction could create a more inclusive, responsive, and learner-centered Social Studies classroom when supported by sufficient preparation, resources, and institutional assistance. It recommended professional development workshops, resource allocation, collaborative planning, mentorship, reflective practices, parent and community engagement, technology-supported learning, and regular curriculum review. The study supports SDG 4, Quality Education, by promoting inclusive and responsive teaching, and SDG 10, Reduced Inequalities, by addressing diverse learner needs. It also relates to SDG 17 through collaboration among teachers, administrators, families, communities, and policymakers. Its sustainability impact lies in strengthening long-term instructional quality, institutional support, inclusive education, and community participation.
Arvin Nikko Tacorda· International Journal of Sus...· 0 citations
This study aims to examine how citizenship education is translated into everyday classroom practices and how these practices shape students' agency and critical engagement. Although various democratic education programs have been introduced through curricular reforms, their implementation has not necessarily resulted in meaningful participatory experiences for students.
This study employed a qualitative interpretive design involving five public senior high schools in Padang City, Indonesia, that had implemented the
Pancasila Student Profile Strengthening Project
(P5) under the theme
Voice of Democracy
. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with 24 students and 7 teachers, 10 sessions of non-participant observation, and analysis of school documents, then analyzed using thematic and critical discourse analysis.
Findings reveal that, at the micro level, classroom practices remain largely dominated by transmissive and hierarchical pedagogical patterns. At the meso level, student agency emerges when learners experience participatory spaces, but such agency remains situational and episodic. At the macro level, a fragmentation exists between educational policies, democratic programs, and pedagogical practices.
While the P5
Voice of Democracy
initiative provides opportunities for participation, these have not been fully integrated into regular classroom learning. The study argues that citizenship education should be understood as a multilevel pedagogical ecosystem that connects classroom practices, lived experiences, power relations, and broader institutional structures.
Reno Fernandes, Eka Vidya Putra, Emizal Amri et al.· Frontiers in Political Scien...· 0 citations
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