Empowerment and Agency in EFL Classrooms Practicing Critical Pedagogy: Evidence from Nepalese Community Campuses

Abstract

Agency and empowerment issues have been the central concerns of curriculum design and classroom dimension in English as foreign language learning (EFL) context. These issues seek an alignment to the practice of critical pedagogy in language classroom. Thus, the study aims to explore students’ perceptions of empowerment and agency in classrooms informed by critical pedagogy within Nepalese community campuses investigating how learners experience voice, participation, and constrains in EFL classrooms in the context of Nepal. Adopting a qualitative design, the researcher chose six undergraduate students from three community campuses located at Bagmati province, Nepal as participants for unstructured interviews and follow up discussions. Analysis of the information revealed four concurrent themes: voice and participation in classroom interaction, critical awareness and reflective learning, identity and confidence as English users, and structural and institutional barriers to agency. Findings indicate that dialogic and interactive classroom practices foster student empowerment and confidence. However, rigid academic structures and exam-oriented traditions still constrain the realization of genuine agency. The study highlights the necessity of teacher professional development in practicing critical pedagogy and advocates for participatory or flexible curriculum frameworks with practical evaluation system that promote learner autonomy in EFL contexts.