Teacher agency has been widely explored in empirical research across diverse sociocultural contexts. Most existing studies are qualitative (e.g. Kauppinen et al., 2020; Ukkonen-Mikkola & Varpanen, 2020), offering rich insights into the nature of teacher agency in specific settings. However, empirical studies focusing on designed interventions aimed at supporting teacher agency and evaluating their impact remain scarce. This study aimed to support teacher agency through a collaborative inquiry-based in-service course grounded in the ecological model of teacher agency (Priestley et al., 2015), which conceptualizes agency as a temporal-relational achievement comprising three dimensions: iterational, projective, and practical-evaluative. The course sought to increase teachers’ awareness and activation of all three dimensions. Its design was also informed by previous research emphasizing teacher collaboration, inquiry, and engagement with professional discourses in professional learning settings. We wished to find out how participants experienced learning in this course and to explore the potential impact of the training course on the participants’ agency. We formulated two research questions: (1) How did participants experience learning in this course, and how do these experiences relate to different dimensions of agency? (2) What is the impact of the collaborative inquiry-based in-service teacher training course on school staff’s evaluations related to different dimensions of their professional agency? The study was conducted during a four-month in-service teacher education course in one school in Estonia, involving 57 teachers and school leaders. The course included five face-to-face sessions and intersession individual and collaborative tasks guided by two teacher educators. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected. Data on participants’ learning experiences were collected through course assignments and course feedback, and data on the course’s impact on the agency were collected using two questionnaires. Analysis of group assignments and course feedback indicated that teachers’ learning experiences were related to all three dimensions of agency. Most experiences reflected the practical-evaluative dimension, highlighting the importance of supportive cultural and structural conditions, particularly collaborative culture, openness, and peer learning. Learning experiences were also related to the iterational dimension through engagement with professional literature and dialogue, supporting the development of professional discourse. Third, inquiry activities addressed the projective dimension by linking teachers’ everyday practices to short- and long-term professional goals. Questionnaire data also confirmed that participants’ agency was supported during the collaborative inquiry-based in-service training course.

Kauppinen, M., Kainulainen, J., Hökkä, P., & Vähäsantanen, K. (2020). Professional agency and its features in supporting teachers’ learning during an in-service education programme. European Journal of Teacher Education, 43(3), 384-404. Priestley, M., Biesta, G., & Robinson, S. (2015). Teacher agency: An ecological approach. Bloomsbury Publishing. Ukkonen-Mikkola, T., & Varpanen, J. (2020). Integrated initial and continuing training as a way of developing the professional agency of teachers and student teachers. Teaching and Teacher Education, 96, 103189.