Teacher power and authority: an analysis of exemplar faculty by career stage

Although the constructs of teacher power and authority are widely adopted in the study of classroom management, less is known about how faculty power, authority, and career stage intersect. This interpretive, qualitative study is thus guided by the following question: What role do formal, expert, and referent power play in the approaches and practices of exemplar university teachers across career stages? We adopted a three-pronged teacher authority framework to explore the conceptualizations and utilizations of formal, expert, and referent power by exemplar college teachers in early, mid-, and late career stages. Our findings highlight both the tasks and tensions perceived by faculty in each career stage, as well as the forms of power these teachers draw on to navigate the classroom. Ultimately, exemplar teachers encouraged student engagement, learning, and relationships through pedagogical, personal, and relational authority.