Students’ Characteristics and Teachers’ Estimates about Their Academic Achievement

Abstract

Abstract:The relation between teachers' expectations and students' academic achievement has received considerable interest in the education and psychology domains. In this study, we analyze the extent to which the information about students influences the formulation of teachers' estimates about their achievement. The sample consisted of 491 Portuguese teachers, aged between 26 and 82 years old (M age = 43 years). To assess the teachers' estimates, we created excerpts containing information about hypothetical students, in relation to whom an estimate of academic success was required. Each excerpt had two versions (A and B), according to the more or less favorable information regarding students' intellectual, family, self-regulation, and previous performance variables. The results show moderate differences between the estimates of the participants that received version A and those that received version B. The results are discussed considering the importance of a set of student characteristics for the way teachers develop estimates about student performance. Keywords: teacher expectations, academic achievement, student characteristics Características dos Estudantes e Estimativas dos Professores acerca do seu Desempenho AcadêmicoResumo: A relação entre as expectativas dos professores e o desempenho acadêmico dos estudantes tem recebido muito interesse da investigação. Neste estudo, analisamos a extensão em que a informação sobre os estudantes influencia as estimativas docentes acerca do seu potencial desempenho acadêmico. A amostra consistiu em 491 professores, com idades entre 26 e 82 anos (M idade = 43). Para avaliar as estimativas, foram criados diferentes excertos contendo informação sobre estudantes hipotéticos, acerca dos quais era solicitada estimativa de sucesso escolar. Cada excerto tinha duas versões (A e B), conforme a informação sobre o estudante fosse mais ou menos favorável, relativamente a variáveis intelectuais, sociodemográficas, autorregulação e desempenho anterior. Os resultados mostram diferenças moderadas entre as estimativas dos participantes que receberam a versão A, comparativamente aos que receberam a versão B, permitindo concluir que aquelas características são relevantes na forma como os docentes desenvolvem estimativas acerca do desempenho acadêmico dos estudantes. Palavras-chave: expectativas do professor, rendimento escolar, características do estudante Características de los Estudiantes y la Estimación de sus Logros Académicos por los ProfesoresResumen: La relación entre las expectativas de los profesores y el rendimiento académico de los estudiantes ha sido investigada con gran interés. En este estudio se analiza la influencia de la información sobre los estudiantes, en la formulación de estimaciones docentes acerca de sus rendimientos académicos. La muestra estuvo compuesta por 491 profesores, comprendidos entre los 26 y 82 años de edad (M edad = 43). Para evaluar las estimaciones, fueron creados diferentes extractos con información sobre estudiantes hipotéticos, acerca de los cuale...

Factors that bias teacher expectations: Findings from Chile

“…These findings are in line with previous studies showing that, in most cases, expectations are explained by social variables (Jussim & Harber, 2005). It is important to note, however, that these results differ from those by Carvalho and Abreu (2018), who found no significant differences between teacher expectations and student SES. The effect of student gender on teacher expectations was measured based on the scores given by teachers for dimensions relating to this bias.…”

“…The effect of student gender on teacher expectations was measured based on the scores given by teachers for dimensions relating to this bias. The results obtained were in line with previous findings, suggesting student SES and gender bias regarding the formation of teacher expectations of their students (Barbarin & Aikens, 2015;Carvalho, & Abreu, 2018;Meissel, Meyer, Yao, & Rubie-Davies, 2017;Sorhagen, 2013;Robinson-Cimpian, et al, 2014;Tobisch & Dresel, 2017). Another revealing finding was that bias motivated by student gender does not exists independently but in combination with that relating to area of learning.…”

Development of Motion-Theme Teaching Materials for Science Learning in Junior High School

“…The teacher also needs to know the characteristics of students. Student characteristics like personality traits or interpersonal skills of students influence teachers' attitudes towards integration of effective methods [1,2]. The selection of methods, media, and appropriate learning resources will facilitate the teacher in achieving predetermined learning goals and achieving good learning outcomes.…”