Teachers’ professional agency and learning – from adaption to active modification in the teacher community

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine teacher learning in terms of teachers’ professional agency in the professional community of the school. Altogether 2310 Finnish comprehensive school teachers completed a survey. Results showed that teachers’ active efforts to learn in the professional community and to promote school development cannot be explained, and hence reduced, to a single behavioral attribute. The findings indicated that teacher learning in terms of professional agency in the professional community consists of several elements including: skills, efficacy beliefs, and motivational factors, which entail transforming one’s teaching practices, experiencing collective efficacy, constructing positive interdependency, the appreciation of mutual agreements, and using active strategies of help-seeking. The investigation also suggests that the use of modifying strategies is characteristic of both the teacher’s professional agency as well as the strategies employed to reduce stress.

Keywords:

• teacher learning
• professional agency
• teacher community
• work stress
• proactive strategies

Notes

1. Due to the pre-testing as well as validity and reliability analyses of the scales, the items with insufficient internal consistencies were excluded from the questionnaire.

Additional information

Funding

This research is funded by the Ministry of Education and Culture and Academy of Finland (research project: 259489).