What Do Elementary Students Think About Teaching Authority?

Author(s):

Rosario Beresaluce Diez(submitting)Salvador Peiró i Grègori(presenting)Carmen Ramos Hernando

Conference:

ECER 2016

Network:

11. Educational Improvement and Quality Assurance

Format:

Paper

Session Information

11 SES 08 B, Paper Session

Paper Session

Time:

2016-08-25

09:00-10:30

Room:

OB-E0.32

Chair:

Ineta Luka

Contribution

Whenever we talk about a crisis of education in many cases is often associated with the decline of authority, and even the absence of authority both at school and at home. "An educational institution is governed primarily by the authority" (Cabaleiro, 1968, p. 292). There is a personal conviction that the teacher needs to establish a relationship of authority with their students to properly perform their teaching.

Having professional prestige associated with having authority, in the case of the teacher means knowing how to teach. Victor Garcia Hoz in his Dictionary of Pedagogy conceives authority as a quality of a subject. "A man has authority when by his personal achievements and reaches a higher level and in this way he can influence the others by his virtue of his prestige" (García Hoz, 1974, p. 91).

After analysing Greek and Roman education we can show the validity of their approach and objectives in connection with authority. Greek education emphasized the importance in the educational process the qualities of the teacher among them we want to give importance to the authority and student willingness to learn. In Roman education, characterized by its practicality, there was concern by providing the young Roman useful life education. They are valid today for our life, based in respect and discipline, despite the early time they ocurred.

Currently there is no human society without educational practice is conceived, since the phenomenon of education occurs in all societies even the primitives.

"It is true, however, that education seems to have been perpetually in crisis in this century, at least if we ignore the insistent signs of alarm that for years prevented us about it. According the words of John Tedesco, the crisis in education is not what it was, "It does not come from the poor way that education meets social objectives assigned to it but, worse still, we do not know what purposes we must meet and where effectively we have to guide our actions (Savater, 2000, p. 12-13), and that we be able to educate our members in a wealthy authority envoirement.

"You shall not be the child's own if you do not belong to his surroundings, and this authority will never be enough if it is not founded on the esteem of virtue, unless you also you open your heart, the other will be closed for you. It's your time, are your care, your affections, you yourself what you have to give (Rousseau, 2001: 127).

"Discipline means having power. The domain of existing resources for the action taken. Knowing what has to be done and to do it quickly available and required the use of media means to be disciplined. The interest and discipline are not in opposition interconnections (Dewey, 2001: 226).

Dewey "did not believe in the spontaneity of the children but on the ability of teachers to measure their skills in generating habits of social intelligence and responsibility" (Beltran, 1997, 26).

Regarding the consideration of authority in today's society, the family has also undergone changes in recent years that have affected the education of their younger members. "For a family to function educationally is imperative that someone she resigned to adulthood" (Savater, 2000: 62).

Many authors accept the very idea that the loss of values is one of the reasons for the crisis of authority: "Those qualities magnificent personality authoritatively settle, to be legitimately exercised on a knowledge and love of truth and the kindness so great that few even get a glimpse at a society like today, where moral incentives are extremely atrophied "(Cabaleiro, 1968: 296).

Method

We have used the analytical method. We have passed the questionnaires to students in the 6th year of primary education, in the city of Alicante and in its province. They belong to public schools and private schools as well. The mentioned questionnaire consists on 20 questions about how students consider the authority of their teachers. The data was collected on the platform of the University of Alicante in the investigation group (http://violencia.dste.ua.es/) and we used the SPSS software for the analysis and interpretation of data was used. The analytical method is a method of research that involves the dismemberment of a whole, breaking it down into parts or elements to observe the causes, nature and effects. The analysis is the observation and examination of a particular fact. You need to know the nature and purpose of the phenomenon being studied to understand its essence. This method allows us to know more of the subject matter, which can be explained, making analogies, to better understand their behavior and develop new theories. The questions were assessed with Likert Scale, where: Always (5) Almost always (4), Sometimes (3) Rarely (2) Never (1). All statements positive assessment obtained a score of 4-5 points. However, in relation to questions about inadequate as if the teacher uses threatening or negligent forms manifested scored about 2 disciplinary forms. Students generally responded favorably in relation to its consideration of the teaching authority, especially highlighting, with a very high score, the following variables: interest in every student has not let anyone stop learning; respects the individuality of the student; their behavior is consistent with what you suggest, give good example; the teacher knows the subject explaining; and Professor seeks harmony, helps students and is assertive communication. We note that the lower scores correspond to Question 17: The teacher’s creativity is limited for several reasons; Applies the scheme: "give and take"; For him things are opened / closed, white / black, there is no middle ground; 18: It is self-demanding, but projected him on students as intimidating and controller, becoming perceived as threatening. Often excuse their ways and question 19: The teacher does not work. He seems reclusive. He ignore his students and he shows apathetic to the problems.

Expected Outcomes

Conclusions: From the results we note that all the student respects the authority of the teacher if he is an efficient professional and he manages in a correct way, when he has the right professional to perform the function that he / she is expected. As we considered the complete and integrated training for the career of future teachers as mentors trained to do their jobs properly. We present some educational proposals for the acquisition of authority by teachers. This proposal consists of a training plan aimed at understanding and acquisition of authority, and how to apply. These proposals have been organized into four sections. First attention on the work of mentoring, work personalized help from an expert teacher to beginning teacher focuses. Secondly the objectives and content of a training plan for teachers conducted by a mentor teacher present. Thirdly a personal experience of the authors in this site which refers to a training course taught and fourthly some tasks of the teaching profession is exposed are described. Facilitate training and the means to improve professionally every teacher is crucial for it to carry out its educational work with the utmost professional competence to be able, necessary condition to exercise authority. "Competition is a concept rich sense, since it refers to the ability or capacity to solve the problems of work. The competent person is not so much to know and so can do, but you do know and do and can face practical problems in their complexity. The complexity lies in the authority of the professional and social value. He is wanted, then over a few studies certified by an accredited fitness in their work "(Altarejos, 1998, p. 44).

References

Beltrán, J. (1997). Una introducción al pensamiento filosófico y pedagógico de John Dewey. En J. Dewey, Mi credo pedagógico, pp. 9-18. León: Universidad de León. Cabaleiro, E. (1968). Poder y autoridad en el oficio de educar. Nuestro tiempo, 165, pp. 290-313. Dewey, J. (2001). Democracia y educación. Madrid: Morata. García Hoz, V. (1974). Diccionario de Pedagogía. Barcelona: Labor. Rousseau, J. J. (2001). Emilio o De la educación, Prólogo y trad. De M. Armiño. Madrid: Alianza. Savater, F. (2000). El valor de educar. Barcelona: Ariel.

Author Information

Rosario Beresaluce Diez (submitting)

University of Alicante

Alicante

Salvador Peiró i Grègori (presenting)

University of Alicante, Spain

Carmen Ramos Hernando