Conceptualizing Teacher Agency for Inclusive Education: A Systematic and International Review

Abstract

Teachers can and should play a powerful active role in promoting societal inclusion and equity for all learners. There is an emerging interest among teacher education scholars in teacher agency and its importance; however, a theoretical and empirical understanding of teacher agency remains elusive. The purposes of this systematic review are to synthesize existing theories of teacher agency and summarize factors enhancing or constraining teacher agency for inclusive education. Implications for teacher education, professional development, and future studies were discussed. The electronic databases Academic Search Premier, Education Research Complete, ERIC, and PsycINFO were systematically searched for articles published until January 2019. Nine empirical studies were identified to inform the three-dimensional (i.e., iterational, practical-evaluative, projective) and temporal-relational nature of teacher agency, with inclusive teacher identity, professional competence, inclusive professional philosophy, autonomy, and reflexivity as its five core aspects.