Power and Conflict in the Student-Teacher Relationship

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Abstract
Adopting a power-conflict perspective on change, this study examines some parameters of power and conflict in the classroom. Questionnaire data were collected from high school, undergraduate, and graduate students on their teachers' bases of power and their own methods of handling conflict with teachers. Results highlight the imbalance of power between students and teachers and the prevalent use of coercion by teachers at the high school and undergraduate levels. This uise of coercive power is shown to be negatively related to student satisfaction, learning, and the extent to which teacher influence transcends the classroom. Despite considerable dissatisfaction, students at all levels report relative passivity in attempting to change what occurs in the classroom.

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