• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.339-358
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• 2021

This study explores the agency of a student leader, expressed through efforts to distribute power and encourage participation in elementary scientific modeling classes. The study also analyzes the context in which the leader's agency was expressed and the context in which the development of a collective agency was constrained. The participants were 22 fifth-grade students. The leader's agency was analyzed by examining his words and actions. As a result, at the outset of the study, the leader had the most power, performing all the activities as the sole authority in a non-cooperative participation pattern. However, with reflection and help from the researcher, the leader recognized the problem and facilitated the participation of other students. He developed an identity as a teacher and demonstrated the agency. The leader's agentic behaviors can be categorized into three aspects. First, regarding the cognitive aspect, the leader helped other students participate in modeling by sharing his knowledge. Second, regarding the normative aspect, he made rules to give all students an equal voice. Third, regarding the emotional aspect, the leader acknowledged the contribution of the students, increasing their confidence. The leader's agency temporarily helped the group to overcome the student hierarchy, facilitating a cooperative participation pattern. However, the development of a collective agency was constrained. The power of the leader was partially redistributed, and the other students did not position themselves as equal to the leader. To support the leader's agency to develop into a collective agency, it is necessary to redistribute the power of the leader more equally and to change the recognition of students.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.237-250
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• 2021

Teachers play a key role in designing a students' learning experience. Teachers are asked to interpret the context in which they are located and to adjust their practice to fit circumstantial needs based on their teacher agency. In this study, we explore the emergence of teacher agency in distance learning caused by COVID-19 and we analyze factors shaping the teacher agency. For this purpose, we interviewed six secondary science teachers who practiced distance learning in 2020. Semi-constructed interviews and their artifacts were collected and analyzed. This study shows that teacher agency is captured when they respond to circumstantial change and modify their practice to achieve their professional purpose or adjust their practice in space for maneuvering or keep their practice consistent. This study also analyzes the factors that affect the emergence of teacher agency in two dimensions. One is individual and the other is contextual. In the individual dimension, educational values shaped by his/her experiences and short/long-term goals for the future support the emergence of teacher agency. In the contextual dimension, there are collaborative and flexible culture shared by the community, co-operation within the teacher community, and material support. On the other hand, in the individual dimension, the teachers' sense of their role, and no reflection for own practice constrain the emergence of teacher agency, and in the contextual dimension, performativity discourse and strong requirement without guidance constrain the emergence of teacher agency. We suggest an effective lens for establishing a strategy that support teachers' professional practice and the emergence of teacher agency.