Building sense of agency in learning through Idea Diaries : A look at enactive and subjective experiences of children

Abstract

Agency is broadly defined as the ability to do something independently, make choices, take decisions, and have control of one’s own life and actions. In this study, I adopt the understanding that a sense of agency in learning is the process through which the learners direct or influence their learning or learn from self-reflection. It signifies the ability to enact independently and make their own choices in the learning process, and learner can regulate their course of learning. Although agency has been recognised as an important resource in learning processes and studied from various perspectives, understanding how the sense of agency is constructed among children with disabilities or developmental disorders who are receiving special support is yet understudied. Understanding the construction of a sense of agency in special education is crucial, as special support is vital for children with learning difficulties. This study investigated how the drawings and writings created by the children in the idea diaries contributed to constructing children’s sense of agency in learning processes. Furthermore, the study aimed to investigate the subjective meanings produced by the children during the construction of the diaries. The Idea diary is a tool where children express and share their experiences through writing or drawing, which they find most relevant and significant to them during their learning process. The main objective of this study was to understand and explore how children with special educational needs construct their capability in learning within the special education setting and how they envision their learning through their idea diaries. The data used in this study belong to the database of the project “Embodiment, (inter)subjectivity and the construction of children’s agency in learning (2021–2023)", coordinated by Assistant Professor Juliene Madureira Ferreira. The data was gathered from a special classroom of a regular school in Pirkanmaa region, Finland, and consisted of idea diaries of the children, video recordings of the sharing circles, and transcripts of the dialogues. To analyse this data, two procedures were applied. First, a coding scheme was developed to analyse the data produced in the idea diaries. The coded data was then interpreted based on the children's subjective experiences. Second, the interpretation was supported by the analysis of the transcripts and videos of the sharing circles where children explained their ideas and creations to teacher and peers. The analysis of the produced data revealed categories related to the children's experiences, beliefs, and emotions and reflected how these elements contributed to their construction of a sense of agency. The results demonstrated that the drawings and writings in the idea diaries were relevant to the children's experiences inside and outside the classroom. The development of sense of agency was evident in the contents of the diary as they transform over the period and become more aware of their learning experiences, events around them and sharing their own thoughts or integrating with the learning experiences of peers. The results of the study provide insights into the role of idea diaries in the development of a sense of agency in children and highlight the importance of incorporating creative and imaginative activities into the classroom context. The findings of this study also suggested the need for further research to explore the relationship between idea diaries, sense of agency, and children's experiences in different cultural and social contexts.