The Experience of Power in Teacher-Student Relationships in Collectivistic Context

While previous research had mainly studied social power in various relationship contexts in Western countries, very little emphasis has been given to non-Western countries, especially in a teacher-student relationship context. This qualitative study explored the experiences of power in a teacher-student relationship context among Filipino teachers and students. Open-ended and semi-structured interviews were conducted among teachers (n=8) and college students (n=8) in private universities in the Philippines. Using thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke in Qual Res Psychol 3:77-101, 2006), findings revealed themes that characterized the unique and convergent experiences of Filipino teachers and students. Both groups generally describe that the experience of power (and powerlessness) in a teacher-student relationship contexts can be described by the difference in knowledge and expertise between teachers and students, hierarchy dictated by social role and age, responsibility and obligation, and response to power and authority. However, both groups also identified several limits to teachers' authority. Unique experiences of teachers and students are elaborated, and implications and future research directions are discussed.