Accepted Type
Oral
Code
OH1-2-1
Acceptance Declaration
Accept
Additional Information
I declare I have no actual or potential conflict of interest in relation to this program.
Was this work accepted for CCME 2020?
no
Category
General Call (Workshop, Oral Presentation, Poster Presentation)
Type
Oral
Sub Type
Education Research
Will the presenter be a:
Other
Presenter Other
Senior faculty
Affiliation
Considered for Poster
no
Title
Going against the grain: an exploration of learner agency in medical education
Length of Presentation
Background/Purpose
Self-directed learning relies on learner agency. While attractive in principle, the actual exercise of agency is a complicated process, potentially constrained by social norms and cultural expectations. In this study, we explored what it means to be an agentic learner in medicine, and how individuals experience and harness agency in their learning.
Methods
Using a constructivist grounded theory approach, we interviewed 19 physicians or physicians-in-training who identified as 'learning mavericks'; this strategy facilitated recruiting participants with a strong sense of themselves as agentic learners. We asked them about atypical learning choices they had made, about support and resistance they encountered, and about how they managed to carve a distinct path for themselves. Data collection and analysis were concurrent and iterative, grounded in the constant comparative approach.
Results
We identified one overarching idea: agency is work. The work of exercising agency was compounded by a system of professional training that was perceived to promote conformity and to resist individual learner agency. Individuals' capacity to exercise agency appeared to be bolstered by social capital, self-knowledge, and mentorship.
Conclusion
Our work extends the understanding of learner agency in medicine, and highlights that the exercise of agency is often a counter-cultural act that requires learners to resist pressure to conform to social and professional expectations. Agency may come more easily to strong learners who have established their ability to succeed within the system's expectations. Enhancing learner agency thus requires careful attention to learner support to facilitate the work that agency demands.
Keyword 1
agency
Keyword 2
self-directed learning
Keyword 3
culture
Level of Training
General
Abstract Themes
Teaching and learning
Teaching and Learning
General
Additional Theme (First choice)
Postgraduate
Additional Theme (Second Choice)
Physician & Medical Student Health and Well-being
Additional Theme (Third Choice)
Undergraduate
Authors
Presenter
Christopher Watling
Term 1
Yes
Term 2
Yes
Term 3
Yes
Term 4
Yes
Term 5
Yes
