runningheadteacherexpectationsandstudent.docVIP

Running Head: TEACHER EXPECTATIONS AND STUDENT SELF-PERCEPTIONS Teacher expectations and student self-perceptions: Exploring relationships Christine M. Rubie-Davies, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand This paper is based on a doctoral dissertation by the author completed at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, in April 2004. Submission Date: 10 May 2005 Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Christine Rubie-Davies, Faculty of Education, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, New Zealand. Electronic mail may be sent via the internet to: c.rubie@auckland.ac.nz Abstract For forty years researchers have been exploring the teacher expectation phenomenon. Few have examined the possibility that teacher expectations may be class-centered rather than individually-centered. The current study aimed to track the self-perception outcomes of students (N = 256) whose teachers had high or low class-level expectations. Students completed the reading, mathematics, physical abilities and peer relations subscales of the SDQ-1 (Marsh, 1990) at the beginning and end of one year. A subscale related to student perception of how the teacher viewed their abilities was added. An overall self-perception score was computed for each subscale. At the beginning of the year there were no statistically significant differences between the expectation groups in any of the academic, teacher opinion or total self-perception scales. By the end of the year statistically significant differences were found mainly due to a decline in the self-perceptions of students with low expectation teachers. Implications for teacher practice are discussed. Teacher expectations and student self-perceptions: Exploring relationships For over forty years researchers have been exploring the phenomenon of teacher expectations. A plethora of studies have been conducted which have clearly shown the existence of differential teachers’ expectations for