ABSTRACT

Authority in classrooms has always been a problematic yet fundamental element of classroom life; its character has a huge impact on the quality of relationships, teaching, and learning. In theory, authority refl ects and recreates the democratic purposes of schooling, for ideally it is based upon the teacher’s legitimacy, students’ consent, and the shared values, purposes, and norms of the school. However, we know that for many reasons, this is oft en not the case; according to classroom research and common knowledge classroom authority relations frequently are rife with overt or sub rosa confl ict, abuse, or resistance.