The teacher’s pet phenomenon 25 years on

What kind of children do kindergarten teachers prefer? —Typology of the preferred types of children

“…Children displaying obedient characteristics tend to maintain a quiet, compliant demeanor, adhering to rules without causing disruptions, thereby potentially reducing teachers’ workload. Authoritative and burnt-out teachers often display a preference for young children exhibiting obedience ( Babad, 1995 ; Chiu et al, 2013 ; Trusz, 2017 ). Similarly, in Western countries, teacher pets also demonstrate a strong trait of obedience.…”

“…Unintentional non-verbal cues often reveal their distinct bond with these students, observable even by other classmates, including younger ones ( Tal and Babad, 1989 ; Babad et al, 1991 ; Babad and Taylor, 1992 ). Moreover, biased or inexperienced teachers exhibit a more noticeable ‘leakage effect’ in showcasing favoritism, often purposefully obscuring the negative implications of their preferences ( Babad et al, 1989 ; Trusz, 2017 ).…”

“… Luttrell (1993) suggested that factors like race and skin color could also influence teachers’ preferences. In summary, students exhibiting these key characteristics are more likely to become teachers’ pets: those with commendable academic performance, not necessarily the highest achievers ( Ritts et al, 1992 ; Babad, 1995 ); individuals with strong social communication skills, actively seeking to please teachers in daily interactions ( Ritts et al, 1992 ; Babad, 1995 ; Trusz, 2017 ; Vahidnia et al, 2019 ); those demonstrating obedience and a peaceable personality, conforming to teachers’ directives ( Babad, 1995 ; Trusz, 2017 ); students with attractive appearances ( Ritts et al, 1992 ; Aydogan, 2008 ; Babad, 2009 ); and those hailing from families with higher social and economic status ( Garrett and Crump, 1980 ; Luttrell, 1993 ; Aydogan, 2008 ; Hussain et al, 2019 ). However, at present, there is a lack of specialized empirical studies systematically investigating this issue.…”

“…Surprisingly, despite Babad’s work ( Babad et al, 1989 , 1991 ; Babad, 1995 , 2009 ), few scholars have extensively studied this phenomenon. Consequently, the existing literature on teachers’ pets is limited, primarily focusing on primary, secondary, and higher education levels ( Tal and Babad, 1990 ; Opoku-Amankwa, 2009 ; Chiu et al, 2013 ; Trusz, 2017 ; Lundqvist, 2019 ; Vahidnia et al, 2019 , 2021 ), with relatively scarce exploration in preschool education ( Taylor, 1989 ; Jiang, 2017 ; Wang and Wang, 2018 ). The study indicates that students in higher grades typically hold negative perceptions of teachers’ pets, exhibiting strong aversion.…”

Adolescent Perception of Potential High-Performing Classmates: A Cross-National Exploration

“…Desynchronized suppositions imply that academically high performing students are intellectual, but socially awkward (Luftig & Nichols, 1990). The "nerd" (Gates, 2010), "boffin" (Francis, 2009) and "teacher's pet" (Trusz, 2017) clichés indicate that there may be a perceived covariation pattern to stereotyping supported by the gifted label. In an academic context, gifted refers to an expertdriven and explicit conceptualization governing a pedagogical need to both identify high performing individuals and ensure their learning needs are addressed.…”