Models of the teacher–student relationship as an expression of the value orientation of university culture

Abstract

Models of the teacher–student relationship as an expression of the value orientation of university culture. – This paper examines various models of the teacher–student relationship and their impact on the value foundation of university culture. The author critically reflects on the shift from the classical European concept of the university, which emphasized personal and moral formation, to the contemporary focus on production, efficiency, and market mechanisms. The text analyzes in detail six basic interaction models: mentor, collegial, professional, authoritative, friendly, and market. For each model, implicitly transmitted values are identified alongside their “shadow aspects” or risks, such as the asymmetric transfer of responsibility, formalism, loss of identity, manipulation, or dehumanization. The conclusion emphasizes the necessity of not isolating these models but understanding them in connection, ensuring that primary academic values – such as truth, freedom, and respect – are not overshadowed by their negative counterparts.