Teacher Expectations & Student Performance This DPE provides a co

This paper provides a comprehensive description and discussion of educational research and theory on the relationship between teacher expectations and student performance. Educational interest into this relationship first arose in 1968 following the publication of research conducted by Rosenthal and Jacobson. In this now classic "Oak School" experiment, teachers were told at the beginning of the term that some students had shown unusual potential for intellectual growth.

Actually, the children named as potential "Bloomers" had been chosen at random. Yet several months later, many of them---especially first and second graders---showed unusual gains in IQ. The teachers had not spent more time with these children than with the others; nor did they treat the "bloomers" differently in any overt and obvious ways. Subtler influences appeared to have been at work---possibly the teachers' tone of voice, facial expressions, touch, and posture.

The significance of Rosenthal and Jacobson's (1968) study, if findings were valid, was tremendous in that it implied that children's academic performance was affected by teacher behaviors other than direct instruction and that, in fact, achievement outcomes of students depended, at least in part, on what teachers thought about students. This lead to such questions as: "What expectations do white teachers have of minority students and how do these expectations affect minority students' performance?" and "What general characteristics of s

Related Essays

Teacher Expectations and Performance .... students based on their expectations of student performance" and that "students modify their behaviour to make it consistent with teacher predictions" (Hallinan .... (5471 22 )

Teacher Perceptions of Students .... analysis of conflicts between teacher expectations and standardized .... Martin's contention that teacher impressions do .... for poorer student performance than might .... (737 3 )

Predictions of Behavior .... These four categories of teacher expectations have been .... in terms of expectations, gender relationships .... teaching behavior, and student performance (Harris & .... (1505 6 )

The Art and Science of Teaching Teaching is, a .... Among these elements, naturally, are the competencies and skills of teachers and teacher expectations regarding student performance; scientific teachers may .... (1600 6 )

Teacher Appraisal System .... are not uniform, nor are the expectations of teachers .... a number of ways in which teacher performance could be .... or a system in which student performance is the .... (645 3 )

usineau and Luke (1990) examined the relationship between teachers' expectations of performance and the academic learning time of elementary students in physical education classes. Six teachers from different schools were asked to rank-order their students according to expected levels of performance in physical education. Thirty-six students (males and females) from the high, middle, and low expectancy groups of each class, were chosen for observation in three basketball lessons to determine academic learning time in physical education (ALT-PE). Findings showed that high expectancy students had significantly higher ALT-PE measures than middle expectancy students. No significant difference was found between student gender and ALT-PE. It was concluded that a relationship does exist between teacher expectations and academic learning time in physical education. Given the sociological and psychosocial implications of self-fulfilling prophecy effects, some researchers have elected to examine teacher expectancy as it relates to race. For example, Ross and Jackson (1991) had 28 female teachers and one male teacher responded to a questionnaire containing 12 case histories of hypothetical Black fourth-grade males and females.

Category: Psychology - T