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Does Increased Agency Improve the Effectiveness of Self-Directed Professional Learning for Educators? EdWorkingPaper No. 25-1162

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Title: Does Increased Agency Improve the Effectiveness of Self-Directed Professional Learning for Educators? EdWorkingPaper No. 25-1162
Language: English
Authors: Dorottya Demszky, Heather C. Hill, Eric S. Taylor, Ashlee Kupor, Deepak Varuvel Dennison, Chris Piech, Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University
Source: Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. 2025.
Availability: Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. Brown University Box 1985, Providence, RI 02912. Tel: 401-863-7990; Fax: 401-863-1290; e-mail: annenberg@brown.edu; Web site: https://annenberg.brown.edu/
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 28
Publication Date: 2025
Document Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: Adult Education
Descriptors: Professional Autonomy, Faculty Development, Attribution Theory, Online Courses, Computer Science Education, Volunteers, Feedback (Response), Teacher Attitudes, Educational Change, Teaching Methods, Educational Resources, Decision Making, Comparative Analysis, Outcomes of Education, Teacher Evaluation, Attendance, Independent Study, Teacher Motivation, Natural Language Processing, Introductory Courses, Videoconferencing, Adult Educators, Transcripts (Written Records), Computational Linguistics
Abstract: The role of teacher agency in professional learning has been the subject of several qualitative studies but has not yet been tested in an experimental setting. To provide causal evidence of the impact of teacher agency on the effectiveness of professional learning, we conducted a preregistered randomized controlled trial in an online computer science course with volunteer instructors who teach students worldwide. All instructors (N=583) received automated feedback on their instruction throughout the course, with half randomly assigned to have choice over the feedback topic. While choice over feedback topic alone did not significantly impact instructors' engagement with feedback or measured changes in their instruction, it led to improved student attendance--an effect that was strongest for instructors who actively engaged with additional professional learning resources, including training modules and teaching simulations. For this motivated subset of instructors, having choice over feedback had significant positive impacts on both their instruction and student outcomes compared to the control group. These findings suggest that agency in professional learning may be most effective when combined with instructors' intrinsic motivation to pursue self-directed improvement. Our study paves the way for further empirical investigations into when and how agency can be effectively integrated into professional learning systems.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2025
Accession Number: ED672527
Database: ERIC
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  Data: Does Increased Agency Improve the Effectiveness of Self-Directed Professional Learning for Educators? EdWorkingPaper No. 25-1162
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  Data: Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. Brown University Box 1985, Providence, RI 02912. Tel: 401-863-7990; Fax: 401-863-1290; e-mail: annenberg@brown.edu; Web site: https://annenberg.brown.edu/
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  Data: The role of teacher agency in professional learning has been the subject of several qualitative studies but has not yet been tested in an experimental setting. To provide causal evidence of the impact of teacher agency on the effectiveness of professional learning, we conducted a preregistered randomized controlled trial in an online computer science course with volunteer instructors who teach students worldwide. All instructors (N=583) received automated feedback on their instruction throughout the course, with half randomly assigned to have choice over the feedback topic. While choice over feedback topic alone did not significantly impact instructors' engagement with feedback or measured changes in their instruction, it led to improved student attendance--an effect that was strongest for instructors who actively engaged with additional professional learning resources, including training modules and teaching simulations. For this motivated subset of instructors, having choice over feedback had significant positive impacts on both their instruction and student outcomes compared to the control group. These findings suggest that agency in professional learning may be most effective when combined with instructors' intrinsic motivation to pursue self-directed improvement. Our study paves the way for further empirical investigations into when and how agency can be effectively integrated into professional learning systems.
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  Data: ED672527
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      – Text: English
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      – SubjectFull: Professional Autonomy
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Faculty Development
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Attribution Theory
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