The relationship between teachers and principals is a continuous and sometimes controversial one. Depending on nature of their relationship it can be rewarding or a struggle for both sides.
In this relationship, having had a higher position, principles have and use power in their communication with teachers. They use power over teachers for various purposes such as rewarding, threatening, controlling and guiding them. Therefore, they use it both for desired and undesired purposes.
On the other hand, due to teachers’ lower position, researchers do not usually focus on the use of power by teachers. Instead, researchers focus on empowerment of teachers in their relationship with principals (Keedy & Finch, 1994; Gonzales & Short, 1996). However, do teachers have and use any power in this relationship?
Why and how principals and teachers (if) use such power can be analyzed through Foucault’s discourse theory. Foucault’s discourse claim that power exists everywhere in the society and institutions (Lazarou, 2013). According to Pitsoe and Letseka (2012), discourse as a social construct transmits and produces power and also it is created and perpetuated by those who have the power and means of communication. Therefore, as important members of the school setting in early childhood education, we focus on teachers and administrators who create and perpetuate discourse.
In this context, this paper will confer on following points from the cultural context in Turkey: Expectations of teachers and principals from each other in a power relationship, the challenges in their interaction, and how this relationship affect their job satisfaction and their practices in the profession.
In this qualitative research, semi-structured individual interviews are used to collect data. Participants are five principals and five teachers who are currently working in early childhood education settings in Trabzon, Turkey. Content analysis will be used in the analysis.
Keywords:Foucault,teachers,principals,early childhood education,power
