Enacting Language Teacher Agency in Digital Technology Use through Collaborative Inquiry

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Saturday 7:45 am
  In Poster Session: Modes and Mechanisms for Enacting Teacher Agency, Activism, and Leadership

Abstract

Amid South Korea’s nationwide digital education initiative, disparities in technology access have deepened the digital divide among schools. This qualitative multiple case study explored how three in-service English as a Foreign Language teachers exercised agency by engaging as teacher-researchers within a collaborative inquiry community. Through action research, reflective teaching, and critical exploration of technology, these teachers challenged ecological constraints across policy, school, and classroom levels. The study reveals how teacher agency is not passively shaped by top-down mandates but actively constructed through teachers’ collaboration and research-driven practices. Collaborative inquiry provided a space for teachers to analyze and transform their pedagogical approaches, highlighting the crucial role of teacher voice and agency in bridging educational inequities in technology integration.

Author

• Kyu Yun Lim, University of British Columbia