What question did this study set out to answer?

To investigate how math engagement and perceived teacher expectations interact over time and affect math achievement, focusing on racial and socioeconomic disparities.

February 5, 2026

The dynamic between math engagement and perceived teacher expectations during adolescence: Insights on educational inequalities in math achievement

Key Points

To investigate how math engagement and perceived teacher expectations interact over time and affect math achievement, focusing on racial and socioeconomic disparities.
Conducted a three-wave longitudinal study from 2016 to 2018.
Sample size of 1,749 adolescents with diverse racial and socioeconomic backgrounds.
Analyzed the reciprocal association between math engagement and perceived teacher expectations.
Both math engagement and perceived teacher expectations positively influenced math achievement.
Math engagement predicted higher perceived teacher expectations for the next year.
The effect was stronger among White students compared to Black students and high-SES students compared to low-SES students.

Abstract

Abstract This three-wave longitudinal study (2016 to 2018; N = 1,749; Mage = 13.83, SD = 1.67; 50.1% male; 67.8% White, 32.2% Black) in the US examined the reciprocal association between math engagement and perceived teacher expectations over time and their impact on math achievement and explored racial and socioeconomic status differences in these dynamics. Results showed that both math engagement and perceived teacher expectations positively influenced math achievement. Math engagement predicted higher next-year perceived teacher expectations (b = 0.204, SE = 0.050, p .001), but the reverse was not observed. This effect was stronger among White (vs. Black) and high-SES (vs. low-SES) students. These findings underscore student agency in shaping teacher–student interactions and persistent racial and SES disparities in educational experiences.

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