Expressions of learner agency in virtual inquiry: Linking agency and evidence-centered game design

Game-based learning environments often support exploration but rarely connect learner agency with rigorous, embedded assessment. This study reports on the design and pilot implementation of ALIVE (Agency for Learning in Immersive Virtual Environments), a virtual inquiry environment that integrates the Agency for Learning framework with Evidence-Centered Game Design. Nine middle and high school students completed an ecological investigation that required evidence collection, hypothesis testing, and causal explanation. Data included think-aloud protocols, gameplay logs, and brief feedback questions. Triangulated analyses captured both convergence and divergence between self-reported and observed agency. Learners showed intentional decisions, strategy shifts, and selective delegation to system supports at points of uncertainty. These findings show how aligned competency, evidence, and task models make inquiry actions visible and interpretable. The study also offers a multisource approach for examining expressions of agency within guided digital inquiry. Limitations include the small sample and single-session design. Future work should examine longer-term patterns, broader implementation, and transfer across domains. • Presents ALIVE, a virtual inquiry task designed with aligned competency, evidence, and task models. • Examines expressions of learner agency through think-alouds, gameplay logs, and pre-task measures. • Distinguishes intentional action from task-following in a guided digital environment. • Describes proxy agency as strategic delegation to system supports during uncertainty. • Introduces a postdigital lens to interpret how learners and digital structures shape agency. • Provides design implications for supporting intentionality, forethought, and self-regulation in virtual inquiry.