Epistemic agency as a construct of science education field: theoretical issues and analytical proposals

Abstract

One of the emerging challenges in science education involves the sharing of epistemic responsibilities between teachers and students in the knowledge construction processes. In this context, the construct of epistemic agency has been mobilized as a promising proposition among researchers in the field of science education. With the purpose of discussing the meanings of the concept in the area, we address how researchers have interpreted and investigated epistemic agency, focusing on the meanings attributed to the two components of the construct: "agency" and "epistemic." To do this, we seek to position the notion of agency in the broader educational field, considering research that explores relationships between agency as a broader and intersectional construct and learning. In a cohesive manner, we discuss epistemic aspects commonly considered in analyses of epistemic agency. Finally, we discuss the relationships between epistemic agency and power, which seems particularly relevant for advancements in the field, given the already established discussions about the active role of the student in learning. We argue that research on epistemic agency would benefit from a more solid grounding in power theories, which would allow for: i) situating the aspects considered relevant in the analyses, ii) operationalizing concepts from power theories for analysis; iii) linking theoretical propositions about power to notions of science learning used in the field; and iv) advance understanding of transformations in learning contexts.