"LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON". CHARACTERISTICS OF TEACHING AUTHORITY AND ITS INFLUENCE ON STUDENT BEHAVIOR

For a long time, the de facto traditional authority of the university professor has prevailed; the students accepted the academic instructions of the teacher without much questioning, but in the modern world this is no longer the case. In this research, the teaching authority is investigated. The objectives of the study are: to know how university students in Early Childhood Education value the authority of their teachers, and to identify students' attitudes during classes. The empirical study was carried out with 320 students. A questionnaire was applied that contains the following areas: domain of the subject; personality, values and principles of the teacher; teacher teaching methodology; ability to communicate and interact with students and the teacher's interest in the students' learning. The results show that the teaching authority is linked to the personality and attitudes of the teacher; respect and interest in the learning of all, with their ability to establish positive relationships in the classroom; with the development of active classes; and with the capacity to promote inclusive participation, this implies that students recognize and legitimize teaching authority. With regard to students' attitudes, students are respectful to the teacher, students rarely talk in class, are unpunctual, complain about their classmates or do not comply with the activities; also highlights the presence of some disrupting elements such as the use of the laptop and mobile when in class. These variables must be considered to develop strategies that mitigate or eradicate indiscipline and disruption.