Authority and authoritarianism, a dichotomy in the classroom

Abstract

The training process within the Peruvian education system has many limitations centered on teacher performance, so the problems are varied and multicausal. Students in Regular Basic Education (EBR) have felt that a classroom is a place where they must bow their heads and obey orders from the person in charge of their education, which is an evident manifestation of authoritarianism. This fact has determined the following question: What is the theoretical construct that conceptually discriminates authoritarianism and authority in the context of a dichotomous relationship? The study seeks to analyze the dichotomous relationship between the proper exercise of authority and authoritarianism in the classroom. The methodology used is the Chakana pregunta as a didactic strategy to develop critical thinking. It is an experimental study based on the analysis of a case of school mistreatment; to this end, nine questions were posed and strategically placed in the Chakana pregunta, considering the central vertical analysis, with the aim of developing the article according to the three selected questions. The study has made it possible to analyze and question the teacher's behavior from the perspective of the practice of authoritarianism and authority according to the context. The finding is significant, as both categories associated with power and punishment shape the role of the teacher when facing the educational process. The application of the Chakana pregunta, as a didactic strategy for writing academic texts, has been very useful because it has made it possible to analyze the case by means of three questions.