Student agency as an enabler in cultivating sustainable competencies for people-oriented technical professions

Rupnik, Denis (avtor), Avsec, Stanislav (avtor)

In this article, we provide theoretical and empirical reflections on the agency of secondary school students acting as an enabler in cultivating sustainable competencies, with the aim of providing new insights regarding how to reduce skill gaps in people-oriented technical professions. For this study, we used a complex mixed methods research design consisting of three sequential phases. In addition to a bibliometric analysis, a survey was carried out in a group of students aged 16–19 years (n = 219). The results indicate that the individual constructs of agency are developed unequally, where self-efficacy and locus of control are the most pronounced, while maintained motivation and anticipatory thinking are less present. Next, self-efficacy, persistence, strategic thinking and self-regulation are found to contribute significantly to successful sustainable transformations through fostering resilience, leadership, interdisciplinary thinking and adaptive problem solving. The future orientation of students might be especially critical toward the end of their study, while students in the early years of the study require scaffolding to make better sense of their effort in learning. Student agency acts as a powerful enabler, preparing future professionals to not only master technical skills but also understand and value the human element that is central to their work. Schools should therefore give priority to fostering the development of personal transformative agency in every student, especially during key transition periods.

• Jezik: Angleški jezik
• Ključne besede: student agency, cultural–historical activity theory, secondary technical education, competencies for sustainable transformation, people-oriented professions
• Vrsta gradiva: Članek v reviji
• Tipologija: 1.01 - Izvirni znanstveni članek
• Organizacija: PEF - Pedagoška fakulteta
• Status publikacije: Objavljeno
• Različica publikacije: Objavljena publikacija
• Leto izida: 2025
• Št. strani: 30 str.
• Številčenje: Vol. 15, iss. 4, art. 469
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-168621
• UDK: 373.5
• ISSN pri članku: 2227-7102
• DOI: 10.3390/educsci15040469
• COBISS.SI-ID: 233143299
• Datum objave v RUL: 18.04.2025

Gradivo je del revije

• Naslov: Education sciences
• Skrajšan naslov: Educ. sci.
• Založnik: MDPI
• ISSN: 2227-7102
• COBISS.SI-ID: 520257817

Licence

• Licenca: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Priznanje avtorstva 4.0 Mednarodna
• Povezava: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.sl
• Opis: To je standardna licenca Creative Commons, ki daje uporabnikom največ možnosti za nadaljnjo uporabo dela, pri čemer morajo navesti avtorja.

Sekundarni jezik

• Jezik: Slovenski jezik
• Ključne besede: aktivnosti, srednješolsko izobraževanje, trajnostni razvoj, tehnika, kultura, zgodovina

Projekti

• Financer: ARIS - Javna agencija za znanstvenoraziskovalno in inovacijsko dejavnost Republike Slovenije
• Številka projekta: P5-0451
• Naslov: Strategije vzgoje in izobraževanja za trajnostni razvoj ob uporabi inovativnih na učečega osredinjenih izobraževalnih pristopov

• Financer: ARIS - Javna agencija za znanstvenoraziskovalno in inovacijsko dejavnost Republike Slovenije
• Številka projekta: J5-4573
• Naslov: Razvijanje veščin 21. stoletja za trajnostni razvoj in kvalitetno izobraževanje v času hitrih tehnološko pogojenih sprememb gospodarskega, socialnega in naravnega okolja