Student-Driven Instruction, Agency, and Curiosity: Mediation Evidence from 46,084 Subjects Across Multiple Sites
Abstract
1. Introduction

2. Method
2.1. Measures
2.1.1. Student-Driven Instruction
2.1.2. Student Curiosity
2.1.3. Student Agency
2.2. Data Analysis
3. Results
3.1. Descriptive Analysis
3.2. SEM Analysis
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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| Items (Student-Driven Instruction, SdI) (KMO = 0.87, X2 = 12,570.67) | Mean (SD) | Factor Loading (λ) |
|---|---|---|
| Get students to believe they can do well in school work (TCQM01601) | 3.41 (0.65) | 0.79 |
| Help my students to value learning (TCQM01602) | 3.43 (0.66) | 0.82 |
| Motivate students who show low interest in school work (TCQM01604) | 3.18 (0.75) | 0.78 |
| Make expectations about student behavior clear (TCQM01605) | 3.44 (0.64) | 0.73 |
| Help students think critically (TCQM01606) | 3.30 (0.71) | 0.76 |
| Get students to follow classroom rules (TCQM01607) | 3.48 (0.62) | 0.69 |
| Items (Student Curiosity, SC) (KMO = 0.83, X2 = 91,826.08) | Mean (SD) | Factor Loading (λ) |
|---|---|---|
| I am curious about many different things (STA0401) | 4.12 (0.90) | 0.58 |
| I am eager to learn (STA0402) | 3.92 (0.95) | 0.73 |
| I like to ask questions (STA0403) | 3.66 (1.05) | 0.61 |
| I like to know how things work (STA0404) | 4.08 (0.85) | 0.67 |
| I like learning new things (STA0405) | 4.22 (0.83) | 0.79 |
| I love learning new things in school (STA0407) | 3.94 (0.95) | 0.75 |
| Items (Student Agency, SA) (KMO = 0.90, X2 = 20,245.23) | Mean (SD) | Factor Loading (λ) |
|---|---|---|
| Keep working on a task until it is finished (STA1301) | 3.83 (0.98) | 0.80 |
| Finish what I start (STA1304) | 3.82 (0.95) | 0.82 |
| Finish things despite difficulties in the way (STA1310) | 3.74 (0.94) | 0.79 |
| Wake up happy almost every day (STA0903) | 3.34 (1.20) | 0.78 |
| Always positive about the future (STA0904) | 3.75 (1.08) | 0.80 |
| Look at the bright side of life (STA0907) | 3.80 (1.05) | 0.84 |
| Reliable and can always be counted on (STA0702) | 4.01 (0.91) | 0.72 |
| Keep my promises (STA0705) | 4.13 (0.80) | 0.78 |
| A responsible person (STA0706) | 3.87 (0.92) | 0.76 |
| Get along well with others (STA1803) | 4.03 (0.85) | 0.75 |
| Always willing to help my classmates (STA1807) | 3.98 (0.90) | 0.76 |
| Polite, courteous to others (STA1809) | 4.05 (0.85) | 0.76 |
| Background Variables | Definition | Mean | SD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Female | Female = 1, Males = 0 | 0.51 | - |
| Grade level | Student grade level (1–12) | 7.00 | 2.74 |
| Academic achievement | Arithmetic means of student test scores on math, reading, and arts (0–100) | 57.08 | 32.21 |
| Mother’s education | ISCED Level 4 or above = 1, Level 3 or below = 0 | 0.57 | - |
| Socioeconomic index | Composite index of parental occupational status | 0.23 | 0.99 |
| Immigrant status | Natives = 1, Immigrants = 0 | 0.82 | - |
| Latent Variable | (AVE) | (HTMT) < 0.85–0.90 | Cronbach’s α | CR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Student-Driven Instruction | 0.66 | Valid | 0.86 | 0.89 |
| Student Curiosity | 0.64 | Valid | 0.78 | 0.83 |
| Student Agency | 0.65 | Valid | 0.85 | 0.95 |
| Pathways | Std. β | Z-Value | p-Value | [95% CI] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Direct effect | ||||
| SdI → SA | 0.094 | 17.34 | 0.001 | [0.083, 0.104] |
| SA → SC | 0.78 | 72.90 | 0.001 | [0.775, 0.787] |
| SdI → SC | 0.043 | 10.16 | 0.001 | [0.035, 0.051] |
| Indirect effect | ||||
| SdI → SA → SC | 0.073 | 17.08 | 0.001 | [0.065, 0.082] |
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Liu, J.; Tahri, D.; Aziku, M.; Mbowe, A. Student-Driven Instruction, Agency, and Curiosity: Mediation Evidence from 46,084 Subjects Across Multiple Sites. Educ. Sci. 2025, 15, 1518. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15111518
Liu J, Tahri D, Aziku M, Mbowe A. Student-Driven Instruction, Agency, and Curiosity: Mediation Evidence from 46,084 Subjects Across Multiple Sites. Education Sciences. 2025; 15(11):1518. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15111518
Chicago/Turabian StyleLiu, Ji, Dahman Tahri, Millicent Aziku, and Airini Mbowe. 2025. "Student-Driven Instruction, Agency, and Curiosity: Mediation Evidence from 46,084 Subjects Across Multiple Sites" Education Sciences 15, no. 11: 1518. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15111518
APA StyleLiu, J., Tahri, D., Aziku, M., & Mbowe, A. (2025). Student-Driven Instruction, Agency, and Curiosity: Mediation Evidence from 46,084 Subjects Across Multiple Sites. Education Sciences, 15(11), 1518. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15111518

