Students’ levels of agentic engagement in experiments and its effect on scientific inquiry competencies in technical education and training institutions in Tanzania

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.