Discipline Power In Education

The power of schooling and education is hence strengthened by the belief of the majority of people on its necessity and prominent role for the young generation development. In essence, schools are empowered by perception and belief from which public holds on its capabilities of transmitting knowledge. This power is powerful since, under the analysis of social theorists, knowledge is considered a form of capital. And more importantly, this sort of knowledge capital is closely linked with economic development, “‘owing’ some knowledge leads to greater personal power in the economic arena.” (Apple, 1982:43).

Regarding the macro level of an education, under the development of economic growth and political policies, it pressurises sector of education

This discipline power “analyzes and breaks down; it breaks down individuals, place, time, movements, actions and operations. It breaks them down into components such that they can be seen, on the one hand, and modified on the other” (Foucault et al., 2009:56). Applying this concept of discipline power to the context of school and education, we can easily how education breaks down its units into schools, bureaucracy, classrooms and learners. Take learners as an instance, they are organised and grouped into different categories such as age, gender, academic ability, need and so forth. More radically, learners are qualified in a world of writing, exams, grading and classifying which functions as both measuring and recording learners. In other words, power in schools not only breaks down learners into units to exercise power of observation, but also in the field of written form (Ball,

It is the case that teachers’ interests such as promotion or career development conflict with students’ interest of an enthusiastic, innovative teacher. Discipline power also restricts teachers and students to certain expectation, resulting in their limitation of actions (Burbules, 1986). Teachers expect compliance, and manipulation from students while the students’ perception holding upon consensual relationships varies due to their previous interpersonal experience outside classroom. Consequently, conflicts between teachers’ expectation and students’ performances occur due to the limitation of discipline power in school and classroom environment. There are also privileges entitled for teachers’ freedom in classroom that are not the case for students. Teachers are allowed to eat or drink while those are prohibited for students.

To sum up this section, it is acknowledged in this research that the power of education and schools exits intrinsically and omnipresent in every aspects of the education. The power relations and conflicts in schools and classroom-based are notable and reflect a complex interrelation between each parties. The following section takes into account teachers’ position and their power as the locus of discussion in order to lay foundation for the coming