Teacher Authority and Student Learning in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: Rethinking Power and Pedagogy

Abstract

This paper explored how teacher authority, pedagogic practice, and student learning performance are related in AI-mediated classrooms of secondary schools. Specifically, the study looked at how teacher authority directly affects pedagogical practices and student learning, and the mediating roles of the pedagogical practices. A convergent parallel design of mixed methods was embraced. The quantitative data were gathered on 320 teachers in Gusau Metropolis, Zamfara State, Nigeria, and the qualitative data were gathered from 20 purposely selected teachers on the basis of open-ended responses. To test the hypotheses, the study used descriptive and inferential statistics, Pearson correlation, multiple regression, and mediation analysis. Qualitative data were examined using thematic analysis. The results from both types of data were used and interpreted to understand the phenomenon of the study. The results showed that teacher authority, pedagogical practices, and student learning were generally at moderate to high levels among participants. Teacher authority significantly affected both pedagogical practices and student learning. Pedagogical practices were the strongest predictor of student learning and partly mediated the relationship between teacher authority and learning outcomes. Qualitative findings also showed that in AI-mediated classrooms, teacher authority is increasingly shown through epistemic leadership, instructional guidance, and ethical oversight of AI use, emphasizing the ongoing importance of teachers in creating effective learning experiences. The findings of the study imply that AI does not undermine the authority of teachers; instead, it redefines it as a pedagogy. The study concludes that well-organized, autonomy-supportive teaching is the key to maintaining student learning outcomes in the AI age.