Coercive Power Scenarios in the Classes Taught by Student Teachers
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| Year of publication | 2015 |
| Type | Conference abstract |
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| Description | Our aim is to describe how coercive power is negotiated, used, and perceived by student teachers and their students in lower secondary classes (ISCED 2A). Power is an ability of a person to influence opinions, values, and behaviour of others (McCroscey, 2006). In our study we use the most influential, traditional typology of power as a relational phenomenon by French and Raven (1959). It distinguishes teacher‘s power in relation to a (by students perceived) principle on which it is based on, i.e. coercive, reward, legitimate, referent, and expert power. Coercive power is based on student`s expectations that he/she will be punished by the teacher if he/she does not conform to the teacher`s influence attempt (French & Raven, 1959). Our research question is How is the process of coercive power negotiation between the student teachers and their pupils realised in Czech lower secondary classes? In our mixed methods research design the quantitative part is based on a survey and focuses on student`s perception of student teacher´s power bases in accordance to French and Raven`s (1959) typology. In quantitative part of the study, which aims at validisation of the French and Raven theory in a broader context, we focus on younger learners (i.e. lower secondary students), Czech sociocultural conditions of power in the classes and on student teacher`s power (i.e. beginning teachers) instead of teacher`s power. For this purpose we adapted one of the latest and most used instruments measuring perceived power of teacher – Teacher Power Use Scale (TPUS; Schrodt, Witt, & Turman, 2007). The qualitative part is based on an ethnographic research design. Data about power negotiation processes were collected via direct (field notes) and indirect (video-recordings) observation and the data about student teacher`s perception of power via deep semi-structured interviews and their reflective diaries. |
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