Conceptualising and promoting student agency in university studies (StudyAgent)
Table of contents
Project description
The project will apply a novel multidimensional approach and diverse methods to study student agency. The project comprises two interconnected sub-studies: The comparative large-scale study examines students’ agency experiences in four countries (Belgium, Finland, Spain, and USA). The design-based follow-up study focuses on Finnish higher education students’ agency construction and development of agency competence across three years of study, and the pedagogical practices supportive of student agency. Measures including questionnaires, interviews of students and teachers, and teachers’ self-reports will be linked to student agency analytics. The project has a high potential for impact on educational practices, and transfer into renewing learning and work cultures.
- Khanolainen, D., Jiang, J., Tolvanen, A., Poikkeus, A.-M., Arvaja, M., & Jääskelä, P. 2025. Multidimensional agency in university courses: Profiles and their predictors. Paper presented at the European Conference on Educational Research (ECER), September. Belgrade, Serbia.
- Jääskelä, P., Vaara, E., Arvaja, M., Jiang, J., Tolvanen, A., & Poikkeus, A.-M. 2025. Student-perceived agency in relation to the course-specific implementation of university studies. Paper presented at the EARLI Conference, August. Graz, Austria.
- Arvaja, M., & Jääskelä, P. 2025. Student-experienced resources of agency in constructing agentic positioning in university studies. Paper presented at the EARLI Conference, August. Graz, Austria.
- Arvaja, M, & Jääskelä, P. 2024. University students’ agency positioning based on their experienced resources for agency. Paper presented at Finnish Educational Research Association (FERA) conference, 21.–22.11.2024. University of Turku. Turku.
- Vaara, E., Jääskelä, P., Tolvanen, A., Arvaja, M., Eskola, A., & Vasalampi, K. 2024. Student perceived agency in higher education. Poster presented at the FERA conference, 21.–22.11.2024. University of Turku. Turku.
- Jääskelä, P., Vaara, E., Arvaja, M., Tolvanen, A., Poikkeus, A.-M. 2024. Multidimensional student agency in university courses. Paper presented at the EARLI SIG 4 & SIG 17, 27th September. Utrecht, the Netherlands.
- Arvaja, M., Jääskelä, P., & Vaara, E. 2023. Students’ personal, relational, and participatory agency positions in two university courses. Paper presented at the European Conference on Educational Research (ECER), August. Glasgow, Scotland.
- Vaara, E., Arvaja, M., & Jääskelä, P. 2023. First-year students’ perceptions on how experiences in earlier studies are reflected in dimensions of agency in higher education. Paper presented at the ECER, August. Glasgow, Scotland.
