Developing an Original Theoretical Model of Teacher Agency in Curriculum Implementation Under Constrained Conditions

Teacher agency in curriculum implementation, the capacity of teachers to exercise purposeful judgment within and beyond institutional constraints, is a critical but under-theorised dimension of curriculum practice, and developing an original theoretical model for understanding this agency in the specific constrained conditions of Nigerian public schools represents an important scholarly contribution. This study developed an original theoretical model of teacher agency in curriculum implementation under constrained Nigerian school conditions. A constructive theoretical methodology combining systematic review, longitudinal qualitative research, and expert validation was employed over 18 months. Systematic review of 63 teacher agency publications from 2018 to 2024 confirmed that existing models inadequately theorise agency expression under conditions of extreme resource scarcity, high-stakes examination pressure, and administrative constraints that characterise most Nigerian public school environments. Longitudinal qualitative research tracked 24 secondary school teachers across three schools in Enugu (SE), Plateau (NC), and Katsina (NW) States through monthly reflective interviews over 12 months, documenting agentic acts, constraint navigation, and professional identity maintenance. Grounded theory analysis generated the original Constrained Curriculum Agency Model (CCAM), proposing that teacher agency under constrained conditions operates through four mechanisms: resourceful improvisation (creating instructional solutions with available materials), examination-boundary navigation (working within examination requirements while introducing enrichment), network resourcefulness (leveraging professional and community networks for curriculum support), and purposeful selective compliance (strategic choices about which official requirements to prioritise). Expert review by 20 curriculum theorists confirmed the model's original contribution.

Keywords: teacher agency, curriculum implementation, constrained conditions, Nigeria, theoretical model