Unravelling agency: A critical review of conceptualisations of agency for educational research, policy and practice

Abstract Agency is a concept that is increasingly prevalent in educational research, policy and practice at local, national and international levels. However, agency is frequently ambiguously defined and subject to inadequate conceptualisation; this leads to conflation and confusion in its application. Arguably, few concepts across the social sciences are as frequently invoked, yet as inconsistently understood, as agency. This review critically maps literature which conceptualises agency across three broad categories: (1) psychological approaches, (2) sociological approaches and (3) emergent approaches. Thematic analysis was undertaken across 51 studies with a focus on the ways in which the authors of each item explicitly and/or implicitly conceptualised agency. Findings suggest that tensions remain across the literature, including conceptual slippage and ontological incoherence in the language of agency. We argue that the emergent approach, in particular the ecological approach to agency, has affordances including providing a coherent rationale for resisting common conceptual confusions and conflations. We provide a series of reflective questions to support researchers, policy makers and practitioners to critically engage with the conceptualisations and understandings of agency which are inherent in their thinking and work. In summary, this paper provides a framework to enable educational researchers, practitioners and policymakers to foster clearer and more critically informed discussions of agency in education. Context and implications Rationale for this study: Agency is a prevalent concept in educational research, policy and practice. However, agency is frequently ambiguously defined and conceptualised, causing confusion in its application. Why the new findings matter: This critical review of literature which conceptualises agency identified three broad categories: psychological, sociological and emergent approaches. Implications for researchers, policy makers and practitioners: The emergent approach provides a coherent rationale which resists common conceptual confusions. We provide a series of reflective questions to support researchers, policy makers and practitioners to critically engage with the conceptualisations and understandings of agency which are inherent in their thinking and work.