Middle School Teachers’ Perceptions of Students’ Ability as Predictors of High School Honors Course Enrollment among African American Youth

Middle School Teachers’ Perceptions of Students’ Ability as Predictors of High School Honors Course Enrollment among African American Youth Public Deposited

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Perkins, Katherine
- Affiliation: College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience

Abstract

Teachers’ expectations are related to students’ subsequent academic achievement, a phenomenon known as teacher expectancy effects. I examined the relationships between teachers’ perceptions of students’ ability, as well as expectations for students’ educational attainment, and students’ high school honors math course enrollment among 382 African American students. Middle school teachers’ perceptions of students’ ability and expectations for students’ educational attainment, and high school teachers’ educational attainment expectations, were significant predictors of the number of honors math courses students enrolled in during high school after controlling for middle school math grades and parent education. No gender differences in math honors course enrollment or math grades were found. Teachers held higher expectations for educational attainment of girls than of boys, though they rated girls’ and boys’ math ability comparably. The role of teachers’ perceptions in relation to the formation of African American students’ math identities and implications for social policy are discussed.

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