Teachers’ verbal responses in a multi-racial primary school

Black pupils, especially Afro-Caribbean males are over-represented in the figures of those excluded from schools. Less is known about those factors within schools that may lead to these exclusion rates. A number of studies from America, Byers & Byers (1972), Hillman & Davenport (1978) and Aaron & Powell (1982), have shown that teachers tend to be more negative towards black pupils in terms of their verbal feedback. This study examines the verbal feedback of teachers in eight junior school classrooms. It found that the teachers used a higher proportion of negative feedback towards black pupils than others and that this feedback predominantly focused on those pupils’ behaviour. An explanation is offered to account for this behaviour. It would also appear that those pupils interviewed by Ward (1996) who suggested they were being picked on may be justified.