Year: 2017
Type: article
Abstract: This article explores the conception of authority relations in the classroom that are implicit in some examples of related policy documentation in Scotland and England. We argue that the importance of the constitutive role of the micro-dynamics of face-to-face interaction in classroom settings is neglected in documentation of this type. We explore this claim with reference to examples of policy in two jurisdictions of the United Kingdom, namely The Donaldson Review and The Standards for Registration in Scotland, and policy-related guidance from England on improving discipline in schools and pupils’ behaviour. We also consider how authority relations are conceptualised in a recent article that has made a significant contribution to the literature in the field. Finally, we present a theoretical account that counterbalances prevailing approaches to authority relations in the classroom. We suggest that authority is continuously negotiated, challenged, accepted, defined and ultimately constituted in and through the dynamics of interaction amongst pupils (and between pupils and teachers).
Source: Critical Studies in Education
Authors: Anne Pirrie, Irene Rafanell
Institution: University of the West of Scotland
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2730027642