Cultivating teacher agency and professional autonomy in higher education through feature films and television series
Files
(Published version)
Date
2025
Authors
Nguyen, N.N.
Barbieri, W.
Editors
Advisors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Type:
Journal article
Citation
Teachers and Teaching: theory and practice, 2025; 1-18
Statement of Responsibility
Ngoc Nhu Nguyen (Ruby), Walter Barbieri
Conference Name
Abstract
This study investigates the integration of feature films and television series (FF/TV) into higher education teaching through the lens of the Teacher Agency and Professional Autonomy (TAPA) model. While FF/ TV is recognised for its potential to enhance student engagement, facilitate learning diversity and create interactive teaching environments, challenges such as cognitive overload, emotional bias, and the need for critical media literacy persist. Drawing on survey responses (n = 50) and semi-structured interviews with 18 university lecturers across disciplines in Australia, the study reveals how educators exercise teacher agency and professional autonomy in their decision-making processes. Findings show that the teacher agency is not linear but influenced by past experiences, present evaluations, and future aspirations— key dimensions of the TAPA model. Moreover, educators’ perceived autonomy varies according to institutional support, professional space and personal beliefs, affecting FF/TV integration strategies. The study emphasises the need for structured yet adaptable institutional support to enhance teacher agency, suggesting that collaborative learning and interdisciplinary engagement can refine FF/TV-based pedagogy. By exploring these dynamics, the study offers practical insights into balancing student engagement, critical analysis, and media literacy within a nuanced framework of professional autonomy.
School/Discipline
Dissertation Note
Provenance
Description
OnlinePubl.
Access Status
Rights
© 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.