Validation of an Ecological Model of Teacher Agency for Iranian EFL Student Teachers

Despite the abundance of research on language teacher education, there is a dearth of ecologically informed instruments for measuring teacher agency. To this end, this study aims to fill this gap by designing and validating a questionnaire for assessing the agency of student teachers. Thirteen facets were identified and developed, including instructional beliefs, supportive beliefs, collaborative learning, and competence, which represent an iterational dimension. The practical-evaluative dimension is represented by opportunity to make choice, opportunity to influence, support, equality, trust, institutional context, and professional community. Long- and short-term purposes manifest projective dimension. A ۲۲-item questionnaire on a ۷-point Likert scale was developed and administered.  Altogether, ۲۱۰ EFL student teachers from four branches of Farhangian University through convenience sampling participated in the survey research design study. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis was employed through AMOS ۲۲ to examine the validity of the theoretical model. In doing so, an Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) were administered, and the ecological framework of student teacher agency was confirmed. The results revealed that the questionnaire had an acceptable fit with the empirical set of data, suggesting that this scale has the potential to be useful in assessing student teachers’ agency and raising their awareness of the agency construct. The study has implications for policymakers regarding how the ecology of professional education may influence teachers’ practices, actions, and decision-making processes.