Accounting for power: nurse teachers' and students' perceptions of power in their relationship

Abstract In this paper I examine how nurse teachers and students perceive power to operate within their relationship. Interviews and focus group discussions showed that teachers and their students agreed that power operates within three distinct planes: the educational process, interpersonal relationships and learning outcomes. Common perceptions of power distributions within these planes were also demonstrated. A major difference was found to be in the emphasis accorded to power planes. Teachers related more to educational power while students were more concerned with personal power. I suggest how the findings can be applied to resolve seemingly conflicting teacher/student perceptions of power distribution and discuss how students believe they can best be empowered by teachers.