Hopeacademy
HED4804
ASSIGNMENT 4
DUE 11 AUGUST 2026
2026
In this well-researched academic essay, you are required to critically examine the
interrelated concepts of self, agency, and ethics within educational contexts. Your analysis
should focus specifically on how both learners and teachers exercise agency to preserve and
practice their religious, moral, cultural, or philosophical convictions. Illustrative examples of
such convictions include, but are not limited to, the notion of self-care as theorised by
Michel Foucault, and 'ubuntu' as articulated within African philosophical traditions.
0 7 6 4 0 3 1 2 2 9
, HED 4804 Assignment Task 4
In this well-researched academic essay, you are required to critically examine the
interrelated concepts of self, agency, and ethics within educational contexts. Your
analysis should focus specifically on how both learners and teachers exercise
agency to preserve and practice their religious, moral, cultural, or philosophical
convictions. Illustrative examples of such convictions include, but are not limited
to, the notion of self-care as theorised by Michel Foucault, and 'ubuntu' as
articulated within African philosophical traditions.
Introduction
Education is much more than the transfer of knowledge from teachers to learners. It is a
social and ethical process where values, beliefs, identities, and relationships are
continuously shaped. Every classroom brings together individuals with different cultural
backgrounds, personal experiences, and moral convictions. As a result, education
becomes a space where both teachers and learners make choices, solve problems, and
respond to different situations. These actions demonstrate agency, which refers to the
ability of individuals to make informed decisions and act purposefully within their social
and educational environments.
Agency is influenced by many factors, including personal beliefs, previous experiences,
institutional rules, and available resources. Teachers and learners do not exercise agency
in isolation; instead, their actions are shaped by the contexts in which they work and
learn. Understanding agency therefore requires examining not only individual decision-
making but also the relationships between people, institutions, and society.This essay
explores how the self as an ethical subject, Michel Foucault's concept of self-care, and
the African philosophy of ubuntu influence agency in education. It uses Priestley, Biesta,
and Robinson's (2015) ecological model of agency as the main theoretical framework to
explain how agency develops through past experiences, future aspirations, and present
circumstances. The discussion further examines how educators can promote critical
agency among learners, how teachers exercise professional and personal agency, and
how tensions between personal convictions and institutional expectations influence
educational practice.
HED4804
ASSIGNMENT 4
DUE 11 AUGUST 2026
2026
In this well-researched academic essay, you are required to critically examine the
interrelated concepts of self, agency, and ethics within educational contexts. Your analysis
should focus specifically on how both learners and teachers exercise agency to preserve and
practice their religious, moral, cultural, or philosophical convictions. Illustrative examples of
such convictions include, but are not limited to, the notion of self-care as theorised by
Michel Foucault, and 'ubuntu' as articulated within African philosophical traditions.
0 7 6 4 0 3 1 2 2 9
, HED 4804 Assignment Task 4
In this well-researched academic essay, you are required to critically examine the
interrelated concepts of self, agency, and ethics within educational contexts. Your
analysis should focus specifically on how both learners and teachers exercise
agency to preserve and practice their religious, moral, cultural, or philosophical
convictions. Illustrative examples of such convictions include, but are not limited
to, the notion of self-care as theorised by Michel Foucault, and 'ubuntu' as
articulated within African philosophical traditions.
Introduction
Education is much more than the transfer of knowledge from teachers to learners. It is a
social and ethical process where values, beliefs, identities, and relationships are
continuously shaped. Every classroom brings together individuals with different cultural
backgrounds, personal experiences, and moral convictions. As a result, education
becomes a space where both teachers and learners make choices, solve problems, and
respond to different situations. These actions demonstrate agency, which refers to the
ability of individuals to make informed decisions and act purposefully within their social
and educational environments.
Agency is influenced by many factors, including personal beliefs, previous experiences,
institutional rules, and available resources. Teachers and learners do not exercise agency
in isolation; instead, their actions are shaped by the contexts in which they work and
learn. Understanding agency therefore requires examining not only individual decision-
making but also the relationships between people, institutions, and society.This essay
explores how the self as an ethical subject, Michel Foucault's concept of self-care, and
the African philosophy of ubuntu influence agency in education. It uses Priestley, Biesta,
and Robinson's (2015) ecological model of agency as the main theoretical framework to
explain how agency develops through past experiences, future aspirations, and present
circumstances. The discussion further examines how educators can promote critical
agency among learners, how teachers exercise professional and personal agency, and
how tensions between personal convictions and institutional expectations influence
educational practice.
