The Effects of Teacher Expectations, Gender, and Behavior on Pupil Academic Performance and Self-Concept

Ten professional and 10 peer teachers were videotaped while teaching a short lesson to a total of 80 students, some of whom the teachers had been told had exceptional ability. Detailed codings and ratings of the videotapes allowed an examination of the interrelationships among teacher expectations, gender, teaching behaviors, and student outcome measures of cognitive performance and academic self-concept. Results showed significant differences in teaching behaviors between the peer and adult teachers; reliable sex differences in teaching behavior were found for the peer teachers only. No significant effects were found for teachers* manipulated expectations for students' performance. Multiple regression analyses using cognitive performance and academic self-concept as dependent variables revealed that better student outcomes were positively associated with such variables as task orientation, explanation, nonverbal warmth, praising, and no interruption of lesson to give feedback, and were negatively related to off-task teaching behavior and negative feedback.