Abstract:
This study aimed to assess students’ levels of agentic engagement in experiments and
its effect on scientific inquiry competencies (SICs) in technical education and training
institutions in Tanzania. The study employed a quantitative approach and a cross-
sectional survey design. A sample of 337 second- and third-year students studying the
laboratory science and technology (LST) program from five technical education and
training institutions was drawn using a proportionate stratified sampling technique.
Data was collected through the use of the student agentic engagement survey
questionnaires as well as the SICs test and analyzed through descriptive statistics
(mean, standard deviation and variance), an independent sample t-test and hierarchical
multiple regression analysis. The results revealed that LST students had a similar level
of agentic engagement despite their differences in gender (male vs. female), grade levels
(second vs. third years), and the nature of the institutions (private vs. public) and
overall moderate levels of agentic engagement in experiments. The results further
revealed that students’ agentic engagement in experiments had a significant positive
effect on SICs when age, gender, nature of technical institutions and grade levels were
controlled. Therefore, we concluded that LST students’ gender, grade levels and the
nature of the institutions have no effect on students’ levels of agentic engagement. Notably, students demonstrated moderate levels of agentic engagement in scientific
experiments, and agentic engagement found to be an important learning factor for
promoting SICs. Thus, we recommended that while instructing scientific experiments in
the laboratory, instructors be reminded to involve students as agents as often as
possible to improve their SICs.
