Student perceptions of teacher-centred pedagogy in Australian legal education

This article examines the role of law teachers as a primary agent of both explicit learning outcomes consistent with the Australian legal curriculum and implicit “hidden curriculum” effects. Using attributional coding methodology to analyse interviews with 65 Australian LLB and JD students, this research reveals that participants perceived law teachers as agents in only 9% of attributions, compared to 36% for “law school” generally and 42% for students themselves. While law teachers perceived as organised, enthusiastic, and flexible were also perceived as being effective educators, participants identified personal characteristics such as age, career objectives, and maturity as more significant mediating factors. The findings suggest that legal education theory and practice must move beyond simplistic anecdotal models to acknowledge the complexity of multiple agents, including significant student agency, in teaching and learning.