Teachers’ Authority in the Postmodern Era

The authority given to teachers within the school setting is vital to any educational work. According to its most widely accepted meaning, this concept signifies teachers’ legal and social right to teach, counsel or guide that derives from a formal recognition of their ability to do so. As a concept, authority in the education system has undergone changes throughout history and is seen as a meaningful part of the educational process. The postmodern era presents us with an erosion of authority within the school system in general and teacher authority in particular. The goal of this study was to evaluate teachers’ authority among teachers in Israel and to find out whether there are differences in this authority between distinct groups of teachers. Research was conducted using the quantitative approach. One hundred and eight male and female teachers participated by completing a questionnaire. The data were analyzed statistically, as is customary in quantitative research. The findings show that within the education system teachers display an average amount of authority. A significant difference was found between male and female teachers’ ability to wield authority, whereby male teachers displayed greater self-confidence than female teachers in their ability to do so. This finding might be explained by gender viewpoints; namely that female teachers in the classroom use qualities such as caring, concern and sensitivity. In contrast, male teachers use male characteristics such as dominance, assertiveness, ambition, aggressiveness and competitiveness.