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Expecting the Best for Students: Teacher Expectations and Academic Outcomes


File number :
CS-ISC-33e

Bibliographic reference :
Rubie-Davies, C., Hattie, J., & Hamilton, R. (2006). Expecting the Best for Students: Teacher Expectations and Academic Outcomes. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 76(3), 429-444.

Abstract :

This New Zealand study explored the potential effects of teachers’ expectations regarding the reading performance of students from various ethnic origins.

Teachers’ Expectations and Student Characteristics
Several studies have shown that teachers’ expectations can positively or negatively affect student performance and achievement. During this study, several individual student characteristics were also identified as likely to influence teachers’ expectations. These included ethnicity, gender, social class, stereotypes, diagnostic labels, physical attractiveness, language style, age, personality, social skills, prior relationship between teacher and student, name, and prior family experience.

Research Hypothesis
This research showed that ethnic origin was a major factor in the way teachers formed their expectations regarding students’ achievement. Other studies challenged this idea, showing instead the determining role of social class on the way these expectations are formed.

As their contribution to the issue, the authors of this article hypothesized that when based on social class instead of ethnic origin, teachers’ expectations should be the same for Maori (the native Polynesian people of New Zealand) as well as Pacific Island students, since both of these populations were basically from low socio-economic backgrounds. Teachers’ expectations of Asian and European students should also be similar, since these students were from middle class backgrounds.

Methodology
The study sample consisted of 21 teachers and 540 students from twelve elementary schools in Auckland, New Zealand. Questionnaires were administered to teachers at the beginning of the school year to identify their expectations regarding students reading achievement and at the end of the school year to record their judgment of students reading performance. Students’ running records reporting on their progress in reading throughout the year were also analyzed.

Main Results
Results confirmed that ethnic origin was a determining factor in teachers’ expectations, irrespective of social class and prior academic performance. Indeed, teachers’ expectations revealed to be lower for Maori students than for students from the three other groups.

Findings also revealed that teachers’ expectations at the beginning of the school year were higher than the actual reading achievement of all the groups of students, except for Maori students. Nevertheless, the reading achievement of Maori students at the beginning of the school year was equivalent to that of Asian and European students, while that of Pacific Island students was poorer.

At the end of the school year, Maori and Pacific Island students showed poorer reading performance than students from the two other groups. As for Maori students, there were no significant differences between teachers’ judgment of their reading achievement and their actual achievement. However, teachers’ expectations regarding the reading achievement of Pacific Island students were as high as that of Asian and European students, while in fact, their actual performance remained below teachers’ expectations.

Various explanations were offered. Teachers might have been influenced by the stereotypes associated with each ethnic group. Maori students might have been sensitive to their teachers’ expectations and performed in line with such stereotypes. Given their lower expectations of Maori students, teachers might have afforded them less opportunity for learning. Anxiety resulting from stereotypes linked to their ethnic group might also have been detrimental to Maori student performance.



Links :
This journal is also available in electronic format. Publisher’s Website Address: http://www.ingentaconnect.com"

Key Words :
Social Origin, Ethnic Origin, Teachers’ Perceptions, Teachers’ Expectations, Teachers’ Judgment, Stereotypes, Individual Characteristics, Reading, Newsletter8

Monitored Countries :
New Zealand