Promoting an Agentic Orientation: An Intervention in University Psychology and Physical Science Courses

Erika A. Patall, Jeanette Zambrano, Alana A.U. Kennedy, Nicole Yates, Joseph A. Vallín

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

14 Scopus citations

Abstract

Agentic engagement, or attempts to proactively influence instruction, predicts positive classroom climate and students’ motivation. As such, it is a potentially effective target for intervention, though causal evidence is limited. This investigation explored whether an agentic orientation could be cultivated through a brief, online intervention for university students and the potential benefits of such an intervention. Three randomized field experiments with college students in psychology (Study 1 and Study 2) or introductory physics and chemistry courses (Study 3) tested the effects of an agentic orientation intervention compared with an alternative study skills intervention or an inactive control condition. The intervention encouraged students to view their motivational experiences in class as malleable and responsive to agentic behaviors they were encouraged to use. Relative to the alternative intervention (Studies 1 and 3) and inactive control (Studies 1, 2, and 3), students exposed to the target intervention at the beginning of the semester later reported a more agentic mindset. Indirect effects indicated that the intervention predicted greater student-reported in-class agentic and other forms of engagement, instructor autonomy support, need satisfaction, domain personal interest, and intention to persist in the field at the end of the semester via an enhanced agentic mindset. Multigroup comparisons suggested that the intervention worked similarly for students who have been traditionally underrepresented in science compared with their counterparts, with limited evidence of variation on certain outcomes.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)368-392
Number of pages25
JournalJournal of Educational Psychology
Volume114
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 2022
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Agency
  • Agentic engagement
  • Engagement
  • Intervention
  • Mindset

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Education
  • Developmental and Educational Psychology

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