Date of Award

2026-5

Degree Name

PhD Leadership Studies

Dissertation Committee

Fred J. Galloway, EdD, Chair ; Antonio Jiménez-Luque, PhD, Member; Robert Donmoyer, PhD, Member

Keywords

mathematics education, student agency, teacher education, professional development, educational leadership

Abstract

This study shifts the focus of mathematics teacher quality from the traditional metric of test scores to “student agency,” defined as a learner's capacity to access power, make decisions, and take ownership of their learning process. While the literature on student agency provides ample qualitative insights, it is largely composed of small-scale studies. This research addresses this gap by conducting a large-scale, nationwide quantitative analysis to identify teacher factors associated with the promotion of student agency. The central research question is: What teacher demographics, dispositions, and professional development experiences are associated with increased student agency?

This study used a cross-sectional design to analyze teacher survey data from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) database, spanning 2015 to 2023, for grades 4 and 8. The dependent variable, student agency, is operationalized as the teacher-reported frequency with which they "ask students to decide their own problem-solving procedures," a measure selected for its high response variability. Independent variables include teacher demographics, professional dispositions, and professional development (PD). Data was analyzed using linear regression modeling to identify significant predictors. A central finding of this cross-sectional study is the consistent association between specific forms of PD and the promotion of student agency. PD variables emerged not only as significant predictors but often as the most impactful factors within the regression models; specifically, PD in mathematics-specific work and critical thinking/problem-solving skills had the strongest impact. Notably, having professional development focused on student needs, mathematics pedagogy/instruction, or mathematics assessment was not found to be significant in any of the analyses performed. The analyses demonstrated that a teacher’s internal disposition is a modest but significant secondary factor: the variable of being "inspired" by one's work stood out as a consistent positive factor associated with student agency.

These results suggest that for educational leaders, the most impactful investments are those that deepen a teacher's content-specific pedagogical skills – particularly in critical thinking/problem-solving – rather than broad, non-specific pedagogical training. The findings can inform the allocation of resources and the design of professional development programs, ultimately aiding in the cultivation of students’ metacognition, self-efficacy, and perseverance in mathematics.

Document Type

Dissertation: Open Access

Department

Leadership Studies

Download

Share

COinS