Teacher-student power relationships in language classrooms: a comparative case study in ESL and EFL contexts

Abstract

The aim of this comparative case study is to investigate the representation and realisation of aspects of teacher-student power relationships (TSPR) by the teachers and students of an Australian ESL study centre and those of its Indonesian EFL counterpart in order to investigate the relevance of the power sharing concept in different contexts of second language learning. This study is concerned with four research questions. These have been formulated in terms of (a) the contextual factors of TSPR, (b) the teachers' and students' perceptions of and experiences with the principal acts of TSPR, (c) the students' learning style preferences that reflect their power relational representation, and (d) the realisation of TSPR practices in classroom interactions in the Australian and Indonesian contexts. Previous and current studies on student autonomy and empowerment (SA and SE), student-centred (language) learning (SCL), communicative language teaching (CLT) and TSPR are reviewed to provide a rationale for the investigation. The study proposes that power sharing issues should be 'embraced' comprehensively before taking further steps in applying such modern approaches as SCL and CLT in ESL and EFL pedagogy. This study employs non-experimental methodology in collecting the data using interviews, questionnaires investigating TSPR and the students' learning style preferences, as well as classroom observation. The quantitative and qualitative data yielded were processed, analysed, presented and discussed interpretively in qualitative terms. The findings of the study are expected to contribute more insights into the contextual factors worthy of consideration in applying modern approaches to ELT in different settings of teaching and learning, and to support the establishment of student autonomy as the central goal in learning and communicative competence in L2 pedagogy.