Effects of Teacher Feedback on the Reputations and Peer Perceptions of Children with Behavior Problems

Abstract

We explored whether teacher feedback modified children's preferences and perceptions of a target child with behavior problems. First- and second-grade children (M age = 7.8 years) viewed a videotape of a target actor presented as having a liked, average, or disliked reputation. A second videotape depicted a teacher's verbal responses to the target's behavior as (a) positive, (b) neutral–salient, or (c) corrective. Both salience and valence of teacher feedback were assessed. Main effects of feedback and reputation indicated that feedback had at least minimal effects at each level of the target's reputation. Teacher feedback is discussed with respect to its effects on perceptions of behavior versus affective responses toward behavior-problem children. A significant interaction showed that when combined with a liked reputation, positive and neutral–salient feedback conditions increased the salience and positive evaluation of the target child, thus illustrating the importance of considering nonevaluative teacher attention in combination with children's reputational status.