Teacher perceptions of different types of information in psychological reports

Abstract

One hundred and sixty elementary school teachers rated the helpfulness of various types of information on test-based and observation-based reports. There was no difference between the test-based and the observation-based reports in overall rating of helpfulness. On both types of reports, interpretive material was consistently rated as more helpful than factual or descriptive information in all content areas. On the test-based report, information about personality dynamics was rated as more helpful than description of intellectual functioning or academic achievement. Teachers desire interpretations that go beyond that which is immediately observable in the behavior or test data. They prefer recommendations that provide specific guidelines for implementation and are easy to carry out. The type of report as well as the gender of the child described in the report influenced teachers' responses to recommendations.