What is children's agency

Based on the analysis performed, children's agency could be defined as children's capacity to act deliberately, speak for oneself, and actively reflect on their social worlds, shaping their lives and the lives of others.

Why is it important for children to have a sense of agency?

In the approved learning frameworks, agency is defined as being able to make choices and decisions to influence events and to have an impact on one's world. Supporting children's agency is about recognising that children have a right to make choices and decisions, and are capable of initiating their own learning.

What is agency in relation to children?

Research has found that children have limited agency in educational settings to express, reflect and develop their own perspectives (Hilppö et al. (2016). However, a variety of efforts are made to encourage children to make decisions or handle problems, individually or in groups.

Do minors have agency?

The idea that children are active and influential agents in family life, has slowly gained acceptance since the 1970's when researchers recognized that the causal effects of children on parents need to be taken into account in processes such as socialization (Bell, 1968) and human development (Sameroff, 1975).