Teacher agency in the professional community and association with burnout : a longitudinal person-centred approach

Abstract

Agentic teacher learning is central for teachers’ professional development, school development and student achievement. The purpose of the study was to explore trajectories of teachers’ professional agency in the professional community during a three-year follow-up period. The data comprised surveys with Finnish comprehensive school teachers (N = 2645) and latent profile analysis was used to identify subgroups of teachers. Four trajectories were identified: High agency, Increase in agency, Decrease in agency and Moderate agency. The results showed that the profiles were partly predicted by school type, teachers’ work experience, leadership role and turnover intentions. Moreover, agency in the professional community was connected to the teachers’ experiences of socio-contextual burnout; teachers with a strong sense of agency in the professional community experienced lower levels of burnout symptoms. The findings imply that teachers’ agentic learning within the professional community can facilitate both their professional development and work-related well-being.