Feeling (un)recognised as a pedagogical authority: experiences and perceptions of teachers of Catholic religion

Gaining students' respect is one of the main challenges faced by religion teachers in Chile. Previous research indicates that they are the least recognised as authorities, a situation that occurs within the context of declining religious adherence in the Chilean society. The aim of this study is to explore the experiences and perceptions of the pedagogical authority among teachers who teach Catholic religion, comparing those who work in confessional schools and those who work in lay schools. A questionnaire, comprising both open-ended questions and Likert-scale items, was administered to 147 teachers. Content analysis, correlations, mean differences, and proportion analyses were conducted. One of the key findings is that teachers' authority is significantly undermined by the discredit of the subject. This challenge is shared by both Catholic and secular school teachers. The article concludes that strengthening the authority of religion teachers requires schools to enhance the appreciation of the subject, the relevance of its content, and its impact on students' personal and academic development.