Power in the Classroom I: Teacher and Student Perceptions

Education has been undergoing rapid change in the last several years. New modes of learning have been espoused and new communication techniques/strategies are being encouraged as alternative methods to the traditional classroom model. However, "the traditional view of education, a view that still prevails, holds that learners must submit themselves to teachers" (Menges, 1977, p.5). As Menges further suggests, this view means that the teachers' authority is not to be questioned. The underlying assumption is that without the communication of power by the teacher over the student, the student cannot learn. Hurt, Scott, and McCroskey (1978) suggest that in a classroom setting "a certain degree of teacher power is always present" (p. 125). They continue. by suggesting that the more power is employed by the teacher as a means of control, the more likely it will be required as a means of control. In other words "the more it is used, the more it will need to be used" (p. 125). The primary focus of this study is to determine the degree to which teachers and students have shared perceptions of the use of power in the classroom. If there is a high degree of shared perceptions this might illustrate that both teacher and student are aware of power and its outcome. A low degree of shared perceptions may contribute to ineffective communication between the teacher and student. Shared perceptions, of course, do not guarantee effective communication. However, if the student doesn't like the type of power employed by the teacher but can recognize it when it is used he/she may be able to respond appropriately. If the student cannot recognize the type of power communicated by the teacher, he/she is more likely to respond inappropriately. The key is to determine if students and teachers have shared perceptions about the kinds of power employed in a classroom. If this is determined then both teachers and students can be taught what types of power produce certain outcomes (i.e., learning).