Fostering Student Agency: Examining the Effects of Alternative Assessment Practices
Keywords:
student agency, Grading of students, Alternative assessment (Education)Abstract
Student agency centers on students as active participants in the learning process. This mixed-methods study examines how alternative classroom assessment practices affect teacher education students’ sense of agency for learning. Students in alternatively graded courses reported increased agency compared to their traditionally graded peers. The findings suggest that encouraging student agency through alternative assessment practices transforms learning experiences from transactional to student-centered and formative. Future longitudinal research is needed to examine whether the agency fostered through alternative assessment persists across subsequent coursework and into professional teaching practice.
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