Applying Agile Principles as a Pedagogical Framework in Vocational Software Development Education

Agile methodologies are widely used in engineering education to align academic outcomes with industry needs. Embedding Agile as a learning culture requires the pedagogical adoption of its principles rather than reliance on tools. This study examined links between Agile principles, team quality, and professional readiness in vocational software development education, where students often face tight deadlines and limited real-world experience. A pilot framework was implemented across 6 courses at an Indonesian polytechnic (51 students, 9 teams), operationalized around 12 principles over 5 sprints, and evaluated through peer assessments and retrospectives. Team quality was computed using a hybrid metric from Tuckman's stages and Lencioni's dysfunctions; students rated their agility on a 10-point scale. Results showed heterogeneous levels of team quality and principle adoption. A regression model explained a modest share of variance (R² = 0.26), and the average rank correlation between team quality and principle scores was low to moderate (Spearman's ρ̄ = 0.39). Correlations were stronger for constant pace and self-organizing team and weaker for customer satisfaction and technical excellence. Cultural norms (politeness and hierarchical deference) tempered direct feedback during retrospectives. These findings support the integration of Agile principles into vocational curricula, with attention to local cultural dynamics.