Agency in Educational Technology: Interdisciplinary Perspectives and Implications for Learning Design

Educational Psychology Review, vol. 35

Abstract

Abstract Advancing learners’ agency is a key educational goal. The advent of personalized EdTech, which automatically tailor learning environments to individual learners, gives renewed relevance to the topic. EdTech researchers and practitioners are confronted with the same basic question: What is the right amount of agency to give to learners during their interactions with EdTech? This question is even more relevant for younger learners. Our aim in this paper is twofold: First, we outline and synthesize the ways in which agency is conceptualized in three key learning disciplines (philosophy, education, and psychology). We show that there are different types and levels of agency and various prerequisites for the effective exercise of agency and that these undergo developmental change. Second, we provide guiding principles for how agency can be designed for in EdTech for children. We propose an agency personalization loop in which the level of agency provided by the EdTech is assigned in an adaptive manner to strike a balance between allowing children to freely choose learning content and assigning optimal content to them. Finally, we highlight some examples from practice.

Authors 5

1. Garvin Brod corresponding

   Goethe University Frankfurt · DIPF | Leibniz Institute for Research and Information in Education

   Affiliation as printed

   DIPF | Leibniz Institute for Research and Information in Education, Frankfurt, Germany

   Department of Psychology, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany

2. Natalia Ingebretsen Kucirkova corresponding

   The Open University · University of Stavanger

   Affiliation as printed

   Norwegian Centre for Learning Environment and Behavioural Research, University of Stavanger, Stavanger, Norway

   The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK

3. Joshua Shepherd

   Carleton University · Universitat de Barcelona

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Philosophy, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada

   University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

4. Dietsje Jolles Aachen Institute of Education and Child Studies

   Leiden University

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute of Education and Child Studies, Universiteit Leiden, Leiden, Netherlands

5. Inge Molenaar

   Radboud University Nijmegen

   Affiliation as printed

   Behavioural Science Institute and National Education Lab AI, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands