Abstract
Agency is a “socially situated capacity to act”. All human beings have agency, but the concept of agency is relative. In recent years, children’s agency has been researched more and has become more prominent in discourse in the education sector. However, there is still limited research into children’s agency in education in England or if, and if so, how Educational Psychologists (EPs) promote and develop the agency of children in their work.This research aims to explore what the current understanding is of children’s agency by EPs and understand how they promote the development of children’s agency in their practice. EP work is varied across the United Kingdom (UK). However, EPs have a key role in providing statutory advice for statutory assessment processes as set out in the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Code of Practice. Ten EPs took part in semi-structured interviews about their experiences and how they promote and include the agency of early years children during statutory assessment processes (Education and Health Care Plans: EHCNA). A Reflexive Thematic Analysis was undertaken. Three main themes were developed: ‘Positioning the child at the centre of it all’, “There’s quite big limits unfortunately for that age group” and ‘Feeling stuck: the EP as a developing practitioner’. These findings are discussed in relation to relevant psychological theories to this research: social cognitive theory, attribution theory and ecological systems theory.
Potential implications from the findings of this research are set out for EPs, early years professionals, policy and future research. It aims to support EPs and other professionals who work with children in the early years to have increased awareness of how to promote and develop children’s agency in their work.
| Date of Award | 9 Dec 2025 |
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| Original language | English |
| Awarding Institution |
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| Supervisor | Dinithi Nisanka Wijedasa (Supervisor) & Rob Green (Supervisor) |