Attending to Student Perception of Agency in the Design of Science Lab Curricula
Hayes, Robert D.
2021
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In this paper, I examine a gap between curricula positioning students with the agency to construct knowledge (epistemic agency) and students perceiving themselves as enabled to exercise epistemic agency, through a case study of one student in an inquiry-based biology laboratory course. This course is designed to engage students in contributing ideas to make sense of complex biological phenomena. ... read moreThe focal student, Caleigh (ps), expands the kinds of explanations she provides when encountering unexpected experimental data—from seeking mistakes with how she carried out the protocol in the first two units, to providing ideas about how the biological study system might be behaving in the final unit. Drawing on interview data, I show that this expansion can be accounted for in terms of a shift in Caleigh’s perception of her own epistemic agency in the lab. I then illustrate, using framing theory, ways in which the curriculum influenced Caleigh’s perception of constrained agency in the first two lab units. Lastly I zoom out to consider how we as curriculum designers can factor student perception of agency into the design of learning spaces.
A qualifying paper submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Science Education.
Advisor: Julia Gouvea.read less - ID:
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