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Authority in the classroom: adolescent autonomy, autonomy support, and teachers’ legitimacy

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Abstract

Younger generations are increasingly questioning the legitimacy of teachers. However, evidence concerning classroom authority and the many factors that shape it tend to disregard the complexity and dynamics of the relationship between the teacher and the student. This paper aims to contribute to further unfold and understand this topic. Specifically, teachers’ legitimacy is examined from the scope of the Relational Model of Authority and the principle of autonomy, from the standpoint of the individual (i.e. adolescent’s autonomy level) and the individual’s perception of the social context (i.e. perceived autonomy support). Participants were 323 adolescents attending two secondary schools in urban areas of Portugal, from 9th to 12th grades. The results indicate that teachers’ legitimacy, as recognised by students, varies according to their perceived autonomy support. In addition, more autonomous adolescents, when in contexts that they perceive as lower in autonomy support, recognise lower levels of legitimacy to their teachers, compared with individuals with lower autonomy levels. Results are discussed from the standpoint of the Relational Model of Authority, the Self-Determination Theory and the Theory of Psychological Reactance.

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Notes

  1. To check if there was additional clustering in the criterion variable Perceived Legitimacy at the classroom level, we fit a multilevel model with random effects for classroom, controlling for school fixed effects. In this model, the intraclass correlation indicated 0 % of variance at the classroom level, after accounting for school level fixed effects. Therefore, we chose a single-level model.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CIS-IUL, Lisbon University Institute (ISCTE-IUL), Lisboa, Portugal

    João Graça, Maria Manuela Calheiros & Maria Clara Barata

Authors
  1. João Graça
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  2. Maria Manuela Calheiros
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  3. Maria Clara Barata
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to João Graça.

Additional information

João Graça. CIS-IUL, Lisbon University Institute (ISCTE-IUL), Lisboa, Portugal. E-mail: joao_daniel_graca@iscte.pt

Current themes of research:

Moral disengagement mechanisms associated with behaviours harmful to nature and the environment, public health, and animals. Among his interests is also the quality of social environments in developmental contexts for children and adolescents such as schools and residential care units.

Maria Manuela Calheiros. CIS-IUL, Lisbon University Institute (ISCTE-IUL), Lisboa, Portugal

Current themes of research:

Areas of education, well-being and risk factors associated to child and youth development. Parental abuse and neglect. The design and evaluation of intervention programs with abusive and neglectful families and institutionalized children and youth.

Maria Clara Barata. CIS-IUL, Lisbon University Institute (ISCTE-IUL), Lisboa, Portugal

Current themes of research:

Educational policy analysis and implementation. Preschool development and education. Research methods.

Most relevant publications in the field of Psychology of Education:

Barata, M. C. & Yoshikawa, H. (2012). Mixed methods in research on child well-being. In A. Ben-Arieh, J. E. Korbin, I. Frones, & F. Cases (Eds.), Handbook of Child Well-Being. New York: Springer.

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Graça, J., Calheiros, M.M. & Barata, M.C. Authority in the classroom: adolescent autonomy, autonomy support, and teachers’ legitimacy. Eur J Psychol Educ 28, 1065–1076 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-012-0154-1

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