Authoritative Teaching Across Student Populations: The Conflicting Effects of Education and Experience

• In Event: Pedagogical Approaches to Supporting Emergent Bilingual Learners

Abstract

Elementary-school teachers (N=246) completed a survey to assess the factors that influence teachers’ preferences regarding response, control, and demand, three interactional-style components inherent in “authoritative teaching.” Participants were randomly assigned to answer questions concerning one of three populations: general-education students, special-education (SPED) students, or English language learners (ELLs). Interactional-style preferences did not differ across student populations and were unaffected by teachers’ age or ethnicity. For teaching SPED students and ELLs, four factors (gender, educational attainment, and certification in SPED or English as a second language) were associated with higher control scores, while teaching experience with all three populations was associated with lower control scores, demonstrating the conflicting forces teachers face as their careers proceed, especially concerning SPED students and ELLs

Authors

• Bruce Torff, Hofstra University

• Audrey Figueroa Murphy, Saint John's University