Education Commons^™

Understanding Power In The College Classroom, Aubrey Immelman

Psychology Faculty Publications

This article presents a theoretical framework for conceptualizing power relations in educational settings and argues that research on the metamorphic effects of social power provides an empirical basis for the constructive use of power in the college classroom. It recommends that teachers should concentrate on strengthening their informational, expert, and referent power bases; limit their use of legitimate and reward power; and avoid the exercise of coercive power at practically any cost.