Gender, sexual orientation and attribution of power in relations to academic teacher by polish students

Abstract

The aim of the paper is the attribution of power in relation to academic teachers depending on the their gender and sexual orientation. This paper discusses the findings from an investigation designed to explore this phenomenon. The relationships between acknowledged power and types of teacher were measured by a questionnaire specifically designed for the investigation using the ‘Bases of Teacher’s Power Linear Scale’. The types of power were distinguished suitably by Raven’s model, and the types of teacher, according to gender (women, men) and sexual orientation (hetero-, bi-, homosexual). The sample encompassed 215 Polish undergraduates and graduates, recruited via the internet. Results shows that depending on the expected sexual orientation of the teacher, the assigned types of power to him/her were different. The gender and sexual orientation of observers were also controlled. Ultimately, those results allowed the profiles of power to be determined. The ones discussed here are the most frequently occurring-results and the unexpected results.