Teacher ExpectationsTeacher Expectations

The Pygmalion TheoryThe Pygmalion Theory

In ancient Greek In ancient Greek mythology, a king mythology, a king of Cyprus, of Cyprus, Pygmalion made Pygmalion made a statue of a a statue of a woman with all woman with all the feminine the feminine ideals and ideals and eventually fell in eventually fell in love with it and love with it and treated as if it treated as if it was living. was living.

Everyday Pygmalion Everyday Pygmalion begged Aphrodite begged Aphrodite to bring his statue to bring his statue to life. Aphrodite to life. Aphrodite took pity on him took pity on him and breathed life and breathed life into the statue. It into the statue. It was the way in was the way in which Pygmalion which Pygmalion treated the statue treated the statue that resulted in it that resulted in it coming to life.coming to life.

Pygmalion effect is…Pygmalion effect is…

Simply put, the Pygmalion effect Simply put, the Pygmalion effect is the idea that expecting is the idea that expecting something to happen can in fact something to happen can in fact make it occurmake it occur

It is a self-fulfilling prophesy, a It is a self-fulfilling prophesy, a belief that becomes a positive belief that becomes a positive realityreality

The term ‘self-fulfilling The term ‘self-fulfilling prophesy’, coined by prophesy’, coined by sociologist Robert Merton sociologist Robert Merton means that erroneous beliefs means that erroneous beliefs about people bring about the about people bring about the realization of those beliefs. realization of those beliefs. For example, teachers maybe For example, teachers maybe have notions about a students have notions about a students ability that have no basis in ability that have no basis in fact. If a teacher says to a fact. If a teacher says to a student that they do or do not student that they do or do not have the ability to do have the ability to do something, the student will something, the student will eventually start to behave as eventually start to behave as the teacher expects.the teacher expects.

ExamplesExamples A teacher counted the number of times A teacher counted the number of times

that children ‘told tales’ in a daythat children ‘told tales’ in a day She tells 5 of her colleagues and her She tells 5 of her colleagues and her

husband that one day 16 children and 15 husband that one day 16 children and 15 of them were of a certain gender (Tripp, of them were of a certain gender (Tripp, 1993)1993)

Which gender was it?Which gender was it?

They all assumed that the 15 They all assumed that the 15 children were girls when it was in children were girls when it was in fact the oppositefact the opposite

The adults’ perceptions were gender The adults’ perceptions were gender biased; this type of misconception biased; this type of misconception has long term self-fulfilling effectshas long term self-fulfilling effects

This leads to judgments of adults, This leads to judgments of adults, such as “women gossip and men such as “women gossip and men discuss”discuss”

Girls are taught to perform according Girls are taught to perform according to gender bias on the part of adults, to gender bias on the part of adults, including teachersincluding teachers

Views on the Pygmalion Views on the Pygmalion EffectEffect

There are contradicting views on the There are contradicting views on the effect of the self-fulfilling prophesyeffect of the self-fulfilling prophesy

Brophy (1983) concluded that the Brophy (1983) concluded that the majority of teachers do not have a majority of teachers do not have a significant effect on the studentssignificant effect on the students

In general, he found that teacher In general, he found that teacher assessments of student’s abilities were assessments of student’s abilities were accurate and overall, teachers didn’t accurate and overall, teachers didn’t show favouritism or bias towards show favouritism or bias towards studentsstudents

Contrary to Brophy, Emerling (1991) Contrary to Brophy, Emerling (1991) conducted an experiment on conducted an experiment on handwriting that showed that the handwriting that showed that the majority of people could tell which majority of people could tell which gender a writer was from looking at a gender a writer was from looking at a sample and Eames and Lowenthal sample and Eames and Lowenthal (1990) showed that teachers often gave (1990) showed that teachers often gave a better mark to students with good a better mark to students with good handwriting handwriting

Sloan and McGinnis (1982) claimed that Sloan and McGinnis (1982) claimed that handwriting led to an inconsistence in handwriting led to an inconsistence in grading based solely on presentation grading based solely on presentation

In some experiments, students received In some experiments, students received as much as 3 letter grades lower than as much as 3 letter grades lower than others due to poor penmanship even others due to poor penmanship even though the content was identical, thus though the content was identical, thus supporting the Pygmalion effectsupporting the Pygmalion effect

A teacher’s attitude towards a student’s A teacher’s attitude towards a student’s work as being good or poor based on work as being good or poor based on biased values like form over content biased values like form over content may discourage that student.may discourage that student.

Teachers’ attitudes Teachers’ attitudes towards low- and high-towards low- and high-

achieversachievers Teachers’ attitudes may vary greatlyTeachers’ attitudes may vary greatly Low achievers may be perceived as Low achievers may be perceived as

being less motivated, autonomous, being less motivated, autonomous, attentive and less willing to engage in attentive and less willing to engage in risk-taking than high-achieversrisk-taking than high-achievers

This may cause the teacher to fear This may cause the teacher to fear and limit interaction with them and to and limit interaction with them and to be unsure when interactions do occurbe unsure when interactions do occur

Teachers seem to plan and prepare Teachers seem to plan and prepare better for high-achiever classesbetter for high-achiever classes

Low-achiever classes tend to stress Low-achiever classes tend to stress more basic skills rather than higher more basic skills rather than higher order thinking activitiesorder thinking activities

Such students ma be perceived as Such students ma be perceived as more likely to cheat and copy notes more likely to cheat and copy notes and this affects teacher behaviourand this affects teacher behaviour

A teacher’s expectations would A teacher’s expectations would likely change according to the likely change according to the observed attitudes and behaviours observed attitudes and behaviours or and individual, small group or or and individual, small group or classclass

Other Factors…Other Factors… A teacher’s pedagogical beliefs, philosophies or A teacher’s pedagogical beliefs, philosophies or

methodologies may also influence expectationsmethodologies may also influence expectations A teacher more into a holistic approach to A teacher more into a holistic approach to

teaching which emphasizes group work and teaching which emphasizes group work and cooperative learning might limit the negative cooperative learning might limit the negative effects of teacher expectation self-fulfilling effects of teacher expectation self-fulfilling prophesiesprophesies

Children who feel secure in their Children who feel secure in their relationship with their teachers often feel relationship with their teachers often feel happier while students who feel more happier while students who feel more insecure with their teachers may feel more insecure with their teachers may feel more anxious and depressedanxious and depressed

A teachers orientation may have a large A teachers orientation may have a large Pygmalion effectPygmalion effect

A french immersion teacher may not have A french immersion teacher may not have any university courses in some of the any university courses in some of the subjects that he teachers. His lack of subjects that he teachers. His lack of interest in a subject such as math may interest in a subject such as math may result in that subject receiving less result in that subject receiving less attention and students not achieving and attention and students not achieving and learning as much as they might from a learning as much as they might from a teacher trained in that areateacher trained in that area

Other Factors…Other Factors…

All of these factors have to do with the All of these factors have to do with the Pygmalion effect because the way that Pygmalion effect because the way that a teacher behaves does influence his a teacher behaves does influence his or her students ad their subsequent or her students ad their subsequent

behavior and learning. behavior and learning.

Discussion: “Reflect on how the Discussion: “Reflect on how the Pygmalion Theory & Teacher Pygmalion Theory & Teacher Expectations will influence your Expectations will influence your teaching practices.”teaching practices.”