Time: 4:00pm to 5:30pm (HKT)
Date: April 14, 2025
Mode: by ZOOM
Speaker: Lee Min (Nanyang Technological University)
Chair: Prof. David Robert Carless (The University of Hong Kong)
Registration link: https://hku.zoom.us/meeting/register/k4GcL0SZSV6AtCMvixXd0w
Abstract:
This seminar critically examines current conceptualisations of learner agency in feedback within higher education, referred to as Learner Feedback Agency (LFA). By juxtaposing existing conceptualisations against debates and origins of agency, three key limitations emerge: portrayal of LFA as a static construct, an overemphasis on behavioural enactments over underlying deliberations, and a unidirectional view of structure’s influence on LFA. This seminar critically examines these limitations by drawing on broader theories of agency to propose a reconceptualisation of LFA as (1) situational, recognising that students’ agency is shaped by and adapts to evolving learning conditions; (2) deliberative, acknowledging that agency is not just about acting on feedback but also about interpreting, negotiating, and making sense of it; and (3) entangled, recognising the co-constructive relationship between learners’ actions and existing structures, emphasising that learners not only respond to, but also influence structures in feedback. Alongside these conceptual perspectives, I will introduce analytical approaches for examining LFA, supported by empirical findings, to illustrate how this perspective can offer deeper insights into the complexities of students’ feedback involvement. By framing LFA as situational, deliberative, and entangled, this seminar offers insights into how feedback practices can be designed to better support student learning and development in higher education.
About the speaker:
Lee Min is a PhD candidate at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Her research explores agentic learning, feedback, and the role of technology in shaping student agency. She investigates how learning environments can enable and constrain learners in actively shaping their learning trajectories, with a particular emphasis on the interplay between agency, structure, and emerging technologies. Min’s work has been recognised with the Dean’s Commendation Award and published in leading journals, international conferences, and book chapters. Her recent publications include Exploring Interactions Between Learners and ChatGPT from a Learner Agency Perspective: A Multiple Case Study on Historical Inquiry and Learner Agency in Feedback: A Review of Conceptualisations and Related Constructs.