VIETTESOL INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION 2025

Teacher agency is widely recognized as a critical component in driving effective educational practices and reforms, especially in the digital era. While much attention has been given to academic qualifications and pedagogical knowledge, non-academic factors play an equally vital role in shaping teachers’ capacity to act purposefully and autonomously in the time of technological proliferation. Drawing on qualitative data from the reflective journals and teacher interviews, the research investigates non-academic factors on how teachers enact, negotiate, and express agency in their professional practices. Thematic analysis was employed to identify recurring patterns related to non-academic factors such as personal values and beliefs, motivation, emotional intelligence, self-efficacy, cultural background, and the nature of social and institutional support on teacher agency. By examining how these elements interact within the broader educational context, the study highlights the complex, dynamic nature of teacher agency beyond formal training. Understanding these factors is essential for fostering environments that empower teachers to navigate challenges, innovate, and participate meaningfully in school development and policy-making. The findings suggest that educational stakeholders must attend not only to teachers’ professional skills but also to their emotional, social, and contextual realities to promote sustained teacher agency.