Teacher Authority in the Classroom: Using Metacognitive Tasks and Cultural Probes for Reflective Self-assessment

Teacher authority is a pivotal aspect of higher educational dynamics, essential to managing classroom environments, motivating students, and achieving educational objectives. Effective teacher authority ensures structured learning experiences, fosters respect, and promotes a conducive atmosphere for academic achievement. However, the establishment and perception of teacher authority are influenced by many factors, including the teacher's gender, nationality, age, accent, and physical condition, all of which can have both positive and negative effects. To address this issue, we plan to carry out a series of metacognitive exercises in class (Ghanizadeh, 2017; Di Stefano, Gino, Pisano, & Staats, 2015), coupled with cultural probes (Gaver, Dunne & Pacenti, 1999) in order to stimulate reflective self-assessment inside and outside the classroom.