WHEN LESS INFORMATION IS MORE INFORMATIVE: DIAGNOSING TEACHER EXPECTATIONS FROM BRIEF SAMPLES OF BEHAVIOUR

Abstract

Summary. Teacher behaviour reflecting their differential expectations was investigated in a context‐minimal method, where judges rate extremely brief (10‐second) clips of videotaped teacher behaviour, separated into isolated non‐verbal and verbal channels (face, body, speech content, tone of voice, etc.). Teachers were recorded when talking about and talking to high‐ and low‐expectancy students. Contrary to recent claims that teacher expectancy effects are negligible and that teachers' differential behaviour is generally appropriate and reality‐based, expectancy effects of substantial magnitude were found in this study, especially in affective and non‐verbal behaviours.Teachers were rated as showing more negative affect in the non‐verbal channels, and as more dogmatic in the non‐verbal and transcript channels, when talking about low expectancy compared to high expectancy students. When talking to students and teaching them briefly, facially communicated expectancy differences were found in ratings of negative affect and active teaching behaviour.The findings supported a view of teachers as attempting to compensate low‐expectancy students in controllable, direct teaching behaviours, at the same time transmitting (or “leaking”) negative affect in less controllable, mostly non‐verbal channels. It was also found that teachers who were more susceptible to biasing information were more negative and showed more intense expectancy effects than unbiased teachers in certain verbal and non‐verbal channels.