How do teacher expectations affect student success?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

In a classic research study, Rosenthal and Jacobson (1968) found that teachers'
expectations of student success were self-fulfilling prophecies. When teachers were
told that certain students in their classrooms were going to bloom intellectually in the
coming year, those "chosen" children showed increases in their IQ scores. The findings
of subsequent research have been mixed, but it may be that teacher expectations may
affect student self-esteem, motivation, and expectations for success. This has serious
implications for children from disadvantaged backgrounds. If teachers have lower
expectations for success in these children, they may spend less time encouraging and
interacting with them. This may result in a Pygmalion effect in the classroom.