Beyond research skills: a multidimensional approach to fostering epistemic agency in higher professional education

Teachers in higher professional education (HPE) increasingly face complex situations that require active engagement with knowledge and creation of context-sensitive insights. Epistemic agency – the capacity to recognize knowledge gaps and create actionable knowledge – is therefore crucial. However, research mainly focuses on formal research skills, offering limited insight into how epistemic agency can be fostered in everyday teaching practice. This qualitative study addresses this gap, by collecting data from 40 stakeholders across four Dutch HPE-institutions using an interactive strategy elicitation activity. In total, 145 strategies were analyzed using a five-dimensional framework of epistemic agency (conceptual, epistemic, procedural, affective-motivational, and social-communicative). Findings reveal diverse strategies, highlighting the multidimensional and situated nature of epistemic agency. Moving beyond research skills, epistemic agency can be strengthened making its relevance explicit, embedding inquiry in daily teaching routines, and fostering supportive cultures. Findings offer actionable insights for designing professional learning environments in HPE and beyond.