Contrastive Approaches to the Dynamic Nature of the Teacher’s Definition From the Diachronic Perspective: The 20th and 21st Centuries

Adam Świątek

doi:10.18290/rh257311.12s

Published : 2025-12-19

Vol. 73 No. 11 Zeszyt specjalny (2025)

Contrastive Approaches to the Dynamic Nature of the Teacher’s Definition From the Diachronic Perspective: The 20th and 21st Centuries

Adam Świątek

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6861-8403

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18290/rh257311.12s

Abstract

The teaching profession, based on the dichotomous relationship between the teacher and the student, is a profession that raises numerous questions and controversies. However, over the last 100 years, the teacher’s position and roles have been changing like in a kaleidoscope, causing numerous teachers to leave this job and resulting in an educational crisis that may be disastrous soon. To comprehend what the crisis means, it is vital to explore how approaches to the teacher’s definition have changed over the last 100 years, or more. This paper, based on qualitative but theoretical research, aims to reveal the complexity of the teacher’s definition from the diachronic perspective. Based on an extensive literature review, the author makes it clear that the definition has undergone a plethora of changes, ranging from “someone conducting classes” to “someone possessing an individual immune system”.

Keywords:

teachers, definition, diachronic, century

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