A Research Model for Determining Causal Effects of Teacher Expectations in Physical Education Instruction

Abstract

Research on the self-fulfilling prophecy has recently begun to emerge as an important consideration for researchers interested in unraveling the complexities of teaching in physical education and sport. The idea that teacher expectations may have a profound effect on social and psychological phenomena occurring in the physical activity setting has led researchers to attempt to identify some specific causal connections among teacher expectations, social interactions, and student performance. This paper will describe a model from which causal determinations can be made in teacher expectancy research. The proposed model suggests three steps for the researcher to follow in determining causality: a) determine descriptively the causes of expectation formation and how those expectations relate to teacher-student interactions and student growth; b) develop an experimental paradigm where one group of teachers receives inservice information from the results of the first step while another group serves as a control receiving no inservice training; and c) determine whether causal connections exist and verify whether past descriptive and correlational research findings are similar to those found in the experimental phase. Therefore, the proposed model serves two distinct purposes: to provide a way of establishing causal connections in expectation research, and to illustrate how research findings can be utilized in helping teachers identify effective instructional strategies.