Exploring the Pygmalion effect: The role of teacher expectations, academic self-concept, and class context in students’ math achievement

Abstract

Teacher expectancy effect (TEE) also known as the Pygmalion effect is a classic, yet still controversial phenomenon within educational psychology. In this paper, we examine TEE in a longitudinal study on a large sample (N = 1488) of Polish middle-school students and their teachers. Consistent with TEE, teachers’ higher expectations were positively related to students’ math achievement three semesters later, even after controlling for initial achievement. Students’ academic self-concept in math partially mediated the observed effect: teachers’ higher expectations translated into higher students’ academic self-concept, which consequently predicted their higher math achievement. Importantly, TEE was observed not only on the level of individual students, but also on class level. Higher expectations of the entire class improved individual achievements of students in these classes. Teachers’ higher expectations in relation to the potential of classes were observed in classes with higher average socioeconomic status and those without or with only very few students with disabilities. We discuss these findings in light of the mechanisms of TEE.