Teacher judgments predict developments in adolescents’ school performance, motivation, and life satisfaction.

Abstract

Previous research has documented reliable effects of teachers' judgments or expectations, respectively, on their students' school performance. However, the importance of those effects has been controversially discussed because of their limited effect size. The impact of teacher judgments on students' lives might have been underestimated due to a neglect of student outcomes other than performance. The present study investigated the effects of teacher under-and overestimations on adolescents' school performance in math and reading, motivational constructs (ability self-concepts, intrinsic motivation, and educational aspirations), and subjective well-being. Participants were 1,092 ninth graders (522 girls; M age = 15.13, SD = 0.72), 52 math teachers, and 48 German (language of instruction) teachers. Teacher judgments uniquely and directly predicted developments over 1 year in performance (math: β = .12; reading: β = .16), ability self-concepts (β = .15; β = .08), aspirations for both school education (β = .12; β = .19) and vocational education (β = .08; β = .12), and life satisfaction in reading only (β = .03; β = .11). The significant effects were located at the student level, whereas there were no significant effects of teachers' general tendency to underestimate or overestimate their students. Both math and German teachers showed a tendency to overestimate their students on average. Underestimation had negative effects and overestimation had positive effects; most effects were linear. Results underscore the impact of teachers' judgments on adolescents' lives inside and outside school and illustrate the benefits of being overestimated and the downsides of being underestimated by teachers. Educational Impact and Implications StatementTeachers' judgments of what their students are able to achieve have been documented to impact student performance, in the sense of a self-fulfilling prophecy. However, because those effects were mostly small, some researchers have disputed their practical importance. The present study documents unique direct effects of teacher judgments on math and reading performance, ability self-concepts, educational aspirations, and life satisfaction in reading only. The results also show that these effects encompass both negative effects of underestimation and positive effects of overestimation. Teacher judgments thus affect many student outcomes at the same time, underscoring their practical importance for students' lives. In addition, results suggest that overestimations, not accurate teacher judgments, are most conducive to adolescents' performance and socio-emotional development.

Feeling joy × feeling competent: Predicting math-related occupational aspirations from math grades, gender, and parents’ occupational background via motivational beliefs.

“…The design and analyses were not preregistered. This data set has been used in published articles pertaining to other research questions (Bergold & Steinmayr, 2023; Bergold et al, 2020; Heyder et al, 2021). No review board provided ethical approval because institutional approval for this kind of study was not required in the federal state in Germany.…”

“…The analyses made use of an existing sample from the FA(IR) BULOUS project. It consisted of n = 1,092 students in 57 classrooms who were first assessed at the end of ninth grade and then 1 year later at the end of 10th grade (47.8% female, 55.3% with a family history of migration) (see also Bergold & Steinmayr, 2023). This is an important moment in students' timeline since they receive a diploma after 10th grade allowing them to either go on to vocational training or pursue an academic career.…”

Does chubby can get lower grades than skinny Sophie? Using an intersectional approach to uncover grading bias in German secondary schools

“…Furthermore, school grades are relevant signals that influence school to work transitions [ 2 , 3 ], access to fields of study [ 4 , 5 ] as well as opportunities on the job market [ 6 ]. There is also evidence suggesting that, in line with a self-fulfilling prophecy mechanism, while being overestimated by teachers is beneficial for future outcomes, being underestimated has negative consequences for students [ 7 – 9 ]. In light of their pivotal role, school grades should be an unbiased reflection of students’ capabilities and performance, and it is especially important that they are not a reflection of teachers’ underestimation of students.…”

Principal's Effective Communication and Teacher Performance: A Classroom Perspective

“…Teacher performance in learning is the most important part in supporting the creation of an effective educational process, especially in building discipline and the quality of student learning outcomes. Good teacher performance can create effectiveness and efficiency in learning and can shape the discipline of students at school and the teachers themselves (Bergold & Steinmayr, 2023;Brophy & Good, 1970;Redding, 2019).…”