A Survey on Teacher AuthorityIn Online English Teaching

Zhou Ying

Hefei Teachers College

Donna@vip.sina.com

I. Introduction

1. Some tips about teacher authority

a)Teacher authority is a kind of power to influence students, which comes from some special knowledge or prestige.

b)Teacher authority plays a very important role in education, which can be applied to appraise teachers’ work.

2. The classification of teacher authority

• Traditional authority: being from traditional conventions

• Academic authority: being from professional knowledge

Charismatic authority: being from personal charm, such as one’s character, personality,etc.

3.What did people think of Teacher Authority in the past?

• Traditional notions: • Teacher is the “gardener”.

• Students are the “plants”.

4.What do people think of Teacher Authority nowadays?

• Current notion: • With the advent of online education

era, some people think that teacher authority has been changed a lot.

(2) Academic authority has collapsed because information is abundant and can be easily downloaded online. As a result, teachers cannot control information any more.

(3) Charismatic authority has been dismissed because teachers themselves are spiritually vacuous in online environment.

(1) Traditional authority has disappeared because online education makes the learning process more individual and democratic.

Are those all true?

Let a survey speak !

II. A survey

1. The surveyed object•

Number People

114 English department of

Hefei Teachers College

16 Center of Hefei Teachers College,

Beiwaionline

76 Centers in Beijing District,

Beiwaionline

2. Question examples designed in the questionnaire

• Do you think teachers are still needed in online education?

• When you have problems in your study, who has helped you most ?

• Who has influenced you most in your online English learning?

3. Results and Analysis

Figure 1: Students’ opinions about if teachers are still needed in online education

3. Results and Analysis

Figure 2: Ways of students preferred to keep touch with teachers

3. Results and Analysis

Figure 3: People or place that students get help from

3. Results and Analysis

Figure 4: Factors that influence students psychologically

对学员心理成长影响的因素频率图

12

3

4

5

0%

20%

40%

60%

1 2 3 4 5

教师 家长 朋友 /英雄 偶像 互联网

3. Results and Analysis

Figure 5: Roles that students think teachers should play

学生希望教师承担的角色饼状图

7. 69%

3. 08%

30. 00%

1. 54%

5. 38%

52. 31%

+ + + +合作者 组织者 指导者 监督者 探索者

合作者 组织者

指导者

监督者

探索者

3. Results and Analysis

Figure 6: Students’ opinions about qualities for teachers

网院学员对教师素质的认识之饼状图

1%教师情感

12%

教师知识教师品德

80%+ + +教师品德教师知识教师能力教师情感

4%

3%

教师能力

III. A summary• 90% of the students think teacher is still needed in online

English learning, while only 10% of students don’t think so; when students have problems in their online study, 48% of them go to teachers for help, which leads the first rank comparing with other choices (Friends, Libraries, Internet, Heroes/ Idols) provided in the questionnaire; however, it turns out that 53% of students think that internet influences them most in their lives, only 15% admit that teachers impose a greater impact upon them than other factors. All these show that in online English teaching, teacher’s traditional authority and academic authority have not significantly been changed; but charismatic authority seems to be weakened.

IV. Suggestions

1. To form a good moral character

2. To enlarge knowledge scope

3. To develop abilities

4. To cultivate emotion

5. To play many roles in one

The EndCriticism and Questions are

welcome

Thanks！