Perceived Agency of In-Service Physics Teachers in Japan and Austria

Abstract

Dissemination of reformed curriculum requires teachers to feel that they have the freedom to implement the curriculum in the classroom. Even instructors who are trained in research-based instruction and are convinced of its value might fail to implement the curriculum in the classroom if, for example, they feel like doing so would jeopardize their ability to cover the contents re-quired by the national standards. We created the "Perceived Agency Survey" to assess teacher views about such issues and administered it to physics teachers in Austria (where teachers are given considerable freedom in their teaching by the national standards) and Japan (which has national standards that are regarded as more demanding of teachers). In this presentation, I will show which items of the survey indicate differences in views between the two groups of teachers, and I will discuss recent interviews with teachers about how Corona has affected their perceived agency.