Being Trusted to Act: Early Childhood Teachers’ Understandings of Teacher Agency

Teacher agency is increasingly emphasised in early childhood education and care (ECEC) research and policy, yet limited research has explored how teachers themselves understand agency within the contemporary Australian ECEC landscape. Guided by Priestley et al.’s (2015) ecological model of agency, this study explored ECEC teachers’ understandings of agency through an online national survey (n = 229) and qualitative data (n = 12) from interviews, focus group discussions, and reflective journals. Qualitative data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Teachers described agency as relationally afforded and contextually mediated. Ten interrelated constructs ( autonomy, control, independence, ownership, voice, power, choice, intentionality, freedom, and flexibility ) were identified and organised into four interconnected orientations: self-determination, influence, reflexivity, and responsiveness . This study offers an empirically grounded account of agency with implications for leadership, professional learning, and policy in ECEC.