13.4.2: How Do Teacher Expectations Work?

 13.4.2: How Do Teacher Expectations Work? 

Sociologist George Farkas (Farkas et al. 1990a; Farkas et al. 1990b; Farkas 1996) became interested in how teacher expectations affect grades. Using a stratified sample of students in a large school district in Texas, he found that teacher expectations produce gender and racial–ethnic biases. On the gender level: When boys and girls have the same test scores, girls, on average, are given higher course grades. On the racial–ethnic level: Asian Americans who have the same test scores as the other groups average higher grades. At first, this may sound like more of the same old news—another case of discrimination. But this explanation doesn’t fit, which is what makes the finding fascinating. Look at who the victims are. It is most unlikely that the teachers would be prejudiced against boys and whites. To interpret these unexpected results, Farkas used symbolic interactionism. He observed that some students “signal” to their teachers that they are “good students.” They show an eagerness to cooperate, and they quickly agree with what the teacher says. They also show that they are “trying hard.” The teachers pick up these signals and reward these “good students” with better grades. Girls and Asian Americans, Farkas concluded, are better at giving these signals so coveted by teachers. Why do some students who have the same test scores receive higher grades? “Signaling” that one is a “good student” may influence teacher perceptions. Credit: John M Lund Photography Inc/DigitalVision/Getty Images 428 So much for Texas. How about the other states? Their interest piqued, other researchers examined data from a national sample of students from kindergarten to the fifth grade. The results? The same. Regardless of race–ethnicity, if girls and boys have the same test scores, the girls, on average, receive higher grades (Cornwell et al. 2013). The researchers asked the teachers to rank their students on their “interpersonal skills,” how often they “lose control,” and how “engaged” they are in the classroom. The teachers reported that the girls had a “better attitude toward learning.” Like the Texas researchers, these researchers conclude that the teachers are responding to the children’s behavior. We do not have enough information on how teachers communicate their expectations to students. Nor do we know much about how students “signal” messages to their teachers. Perhaps you will become the educational sociologist who sheds more light on this interesting area of human behavior.