An ‘unavoidable’ dynamic? Understanding the ‘traditional’ learner–teacher power relationship within a higher education context

Educational Research

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https://doi.org/10.1080/01425692.2021.1962246
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Available under license: CC BY: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

Keywords

collaboration, Higher education, learning, partnership, power relationship

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Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review

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An ‘unavoidable’ dynamic? Understanding the ‘traditional’ learner–teacher power relationship within a higher education context. / Symonds, E.
In: British Journal of Sociology of Education, Vol. 42, No. 7, 31.10.2021, p. 1070-1085.

Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review

Bibtex

@article{7bb8e04a97424812a9161c6de93f611a,

title = "An {\textquoteleft}unavoidable{\textquoteright} dynamic? Understanding the {\textquoteleft}traditional{\textquoteright} learner–teacher power relationship within a higher education context",

abstract = "Power relationships between undergraduates and academics are frequently overlooked. This article explores the construction of a {\textquoteleft}traditional{\textquoteright} power relationship between undergraduates and academics, through the theorisation of systemic and constitutive power and considers the prevalence of this dynamic within a higher education (HE) context. I draw from Fairclough{\textquoteright}s three-dimensional model of critical discourse analysis to explore 32 interviews, 12 observations and 12 policy documents gathered from two post-1992 universities in England. Academics and undergraduates in this study perceived the existence of a traditional power relationship, constituted through the behavioural expectations of the established social roles of the traditional learner and teacher, which form the dynamic. I will discuss the behavioural expectations and distributed powers of the traditional learner and teacher roles, before addressing the prevalence of the traditional power relationship within the universities in this study and the barrier this creates for more collaborative dynamics. ",

keywords = "collaboration, Higher education, learning, partnership, power relationship",

author = "E. Symonds",

year = "2021",

month = oct,

day = "31",

doi = "10.1080/01425692.2021.1962246",

language = "English",

volume = "42",

pages = "1070--1085",

journal = "British Journal of Sociology of Education",

issn = "0142-5692",

publisher = "Taylor and Francis Ltd.",

number = "7",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - An ‘unavoidable’ dynamic? Understanding the ‘traditional’ learner–teacher power relationship within a higher education context

AU - Symonds, E.

PY - 2021/10/31

Y1 - 2021/10/31

N2 - Power relationships between undergraduates and academics are frequently overlooked. This article explores the construction of a ‘traditional’ power relationship between undergraduates and academics, through the theorisation of systemic and constitutive power and considers the prevalence of this dynamic within a higher education (HE) context. I draw from Fairclough’s three-dimensional model of critical discourse analysis to explore 32 interviews, 12 observations and 12 policy documents gathered from two post-1992 universities in England. Academics and undergraduates in this study perceived the existence of a traditional power relationship, constituted through the behavioural expectations of the established social roles of the traditional learner and teacher, which form the dynamic. I will discuss the behavioural expectations and distributed powers of the traditional learner and teacher roles, before addressing the prevalence of the traditional power relationship within the universities in this study and the barrier this creates for more collaborative dynamics.

AB - Power relationships between undergraduates and academics are frequently overlooked. This article explores the construction of a ‘traditional’ power relationship between undergraduates and academics, through the theorisation of systemic and constitutive power and considers the prevalence of this dynamic within a higher education (HE) context. I draw from Fairclough’s three-dimensional model of critical discourse analysis to explore 32 interviews, 12 observations and 12 policy documents gathered from two post-1992 universities in England. Academics and undergraduates in this study perceived the existence of a traditional power relationship, constituted through the behavioural expectations of the established social roles of the traditional learner and teacher, which form the dynamic. I will discuss the behavioural expectations and distributed powers of the traditional learner and teacher roles, before addressing the prevalence of the traditional power relationship within the universities in this study and the barrier this creates for more collaborative dynamics.

KW - collaboration

KW - Higher education

KW - learning

KW - partnership

KW - power relationship

U2 - 10.1080/01425692.2021.1962246

DO - 10.1080/01425692.2021.1962246

M3 - Journal article

VL - 42

SP - 1070

EP - 1085

JO - British Journal of Sociology of Education

JF - British Journal of Sociology of Education

SN - 0142-5692

IS - 7

ER -

Research

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Keywords