Effect of student verbal behavior on classroom teacher behavior.

Investigated the functional relationship between individual student rates of volunteering in the classroom and (a) the differential rates of teacher questions directed to the individual students and (b) the percentage of student volunterring approved by the teacher in 12 high school classrooms ( N = 90) during the 1st and 3rd mo of the term. Teachers did not differentially approve different rates of volunteering; however, those students who volunteered more were more likely to receive a directed question. During the 3rd mo, the rate of directed questions correlated with student volunteering for those who did volunteers. Results imply that students control whether they receive a directed question and, as the term progresses, how frequently the teacher addresses them. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Observer effects on teacher verbal classroom behavior.

Investigated whether the presence of an observer has an effect on the verbal behaviors of teachers. 10 female elementary school teachers were each observed for approximately 9 hrs under the following 4 conditions: (a) the information or (b) lack of information a teacher had concerning when an observation would occur; (c) the presence or (d) absence of an observer in the classroom. The dependent variables were the teachers' verbal behaviors as measured by N. A. Flanders's (1965) interaction analysis and their perception of their ideal teacher's behaviors. Results indicate that informing a teacher prior to an observation has minimal effect on classroom verbal behavior. Teacher verbal classroom behavior was found to be more like the perceived ideal when an observer was present in the classroom. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The teacher and student as Pygmalions: Joint effects of teacher and student expectations.

Examined the effects of teachers' expectations about students and students' expectations about teachers on the performance and attitudes of both participants. 60 female undergraduates were designated as teachers and were led to expect a high- or low-ability student, and a further 60 Ss acting as students were independently led to expect a teacher of low or high competence. Teachers and students were then randomly paired in a teaching session. Results show that student performance was a function of the teacher's expectations. In addition, teachers' attitudes and rated competence were affected by their expectation regarding the student, and students' attitudes were affected by their expectation about the teacher. (10 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perceived teacher support of student questioning in the college classroom: Its relation to student characteristics and role in the classroom questioning process.

Examined college students' perceptions of their teachers' support of student questioning (SQ). Perceived teacher support had significant and consistent relationships with students' motivational tendencies and strategy use typical of self-regulated learners. Perceived teacher support affected the likelihood of SQ by influencing whether students had a question to ask and their level of inhibition. Students perceived high levels of support, which does not account for the low incidence of SQ in college classrooms. Agreement between student perceptions and teacher self-reports suggested that creating opportunities for questions and providing high quality answers are important dimensions of teacher support. The possible self-fulfilling consequences of perceived teacher support are discussed. Teacher support for SQ may influence the likelihood that students formulate questions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Emotional transmission in the classroom: Exploring the relationship between teacher and student enjoyment.

In this study, the authors examined the relationship between teacher and student enjoyment. Based on social–cognitive approaches to emotions, they hypothesized (a) that teacher enjoyment and student enjoyment within classrooms are positively linked and (b) that teacher enthusiasm mediates the relationship between teacher and student enjoyment. Self-reported enjoyment of mathematics classes was available from 1,542 students from 71 classrooms at 2 time points (Grades 7 and 8). At Time 2, mathematics teachers’ reports of their enjoyment of teaching were available (N = 71), as well as student ratings of teacher enthusiasm. The findings were in line with theoretical expectations. Multilevel structural equation modeling showed that teacher and student enjoyment were positively related even when the authors adjusted for students’ previous-class levels of mathematics enjoyment, and that the effect of teacher enjoyment on student enjoyment was mediated by teacher enthusiasm. Discussion centers on the practical implications for affective interactions in the classroom. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interactive effects of student anxiety, achievement orientation, and teacher behavior on student achievement and attitude.

Explored the effects of student personality and teacher behavior on student achievement and attitude. An experienced social studies teacher taught a 2-wk unit to 4 classes of 9th graders (103 students) according to 4 treatments that varied in amount of structure and student participation. Students completed the Verbal Meaning test of the Primary Mental Abilities Test, the Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale, the Anxiety scale of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and 2 scales of the California Psychological Inventory at the beginning of the study and achievement, attitude, and retention measures at the end of the study. Teacher behavior was observed to demonstrate fidelity of treatment implementation. Stepwise regression analysis indicated that neither personality nor treatments alone contributed significantly to the prediction of achievement, but interactions between them did. Treatment effects depended on the student's verbal ability, manifest anxiety, and achievement orientation. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Natural rates of teacher approval and disapproval and their relation to student behavior in intermediate school classrooms.

Studied the natural rates of teacher approval of appropriate student behavior and off-task student behavior and disapproval of off-task behavior in 84 intermediate school 6th–9th grade classrooms. Six students were selected at random from each class, and their behaviors were recorded using a behavioral assessment instrument. Teachers' interactions with students were recorded using an event-recording procedure. Higher rates of approval of off-task behavior were associated with lower rates of on-task behavior. The lowest rates of teacher disapproval were associated with the highest rates of student on-task behavior. Mean rates of teacher approval were found to exceed rates of disapproval, in contrast to previous studies. Inappropriate approval also appeared to be a relevant factor in managing classroom behavior. Results suggest that to achieve an acceptable level of on-task behavior, teachers must provide high rates of appropriate approval combined with low rates of both inappropriate approval and disapproval. (11 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A teacher inservice model for problem-solving in classroom discipline: Suggestions for the school psychologist.

Suggests that school psychologists may find themselves faced with the task of conducting teacher inservice workshops on the subject of classroom discipline and discusses the shortcomings of various approaches to teacher training in classroom discipline. Four key principles of a teacher training model are presented for school psychologists' use. The principles focus on the concept of "discipline subsystems" (i.e., instruction, behavior modification, group management/dynamics, and psychodynamic/human relationships). The 4 discipline subsystems are both interrelated and interdependent, such that the functional characteristics of any one subsystem may influence the functional characteristics of other subsystems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Pygmalion revisited: New evidence for student expectancy effects in the classroom.

We conducted a field experiment to test the idea that students' expectations regarding their teacher's competence would influence their classroom behavior and academic achievement. At the end of a 3-week teaching unit, students in two high school classes who had been given an initial positive expectancy about their teacher's ability and motivation engaged in more appropriate and less inappropriate nonverbal behavior and received significantly higher final grades on the unit than did their peers in two no-expectation control classes. We speculate about both the direct (student-mediated) and indirect (teacher-mediated) processes by which students' expectations came to affect their academic outcomes. We also discuss the importance of group-level expectancies and some ethical issues in student expectancy research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Peer observation of student behavior in elementary school classrooms.

Assessed the nature of conceptual schemas used by elementary-school children in observing the behavior of peers and compared the dimensions to those derived from teacher observations of similar student behaviors. Results suggest that while teachers are sensitized to the differences in classroom events reflecting academic achievement and those reflecting conformity to rules, students are more sensitive to phenomena reflecting social behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Changes in efficacy beliefs in mathematics across the transition to middle school: Examining the effects of perceived teacher and parent goal emphases.

This study examined the effects of change in teacher goal emphases on students' efficacy beliefs in mathematics across the transition to middle school. The sample (N = 929) included primarily White (65%) and Black (27%) students, and approximately one third received free or reduced-fee lunch. Analyses grouped children by cross-classification of teachers (N = 53 elementary and N = 34 middle school teachers). On average, students' efficacy beliefs remained stable and relatively high across the transition. Compared with their elementary school teacher, children reported declines in both perceived teacher mastery and performance goal emphases in middle school. A cross-classified hierarchical linear model was used to estimate the effects of perceived teacher and parent goal emphases during 6th and 7th grades on changes in students' efficacy beliefs. An increase in self-efficacy beliefs from elementary to middle school was predicted by an increase in group-level perceptions of teachers' mastery goal emphasis, even after controlling for parents' goal emphases. These findings underscore the important role that both teachers' and parents' goal emphases play as children develop a sense of efficacy in mathematics. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A note to teacher: Improving student behavior through goal setting and feedback.

Examined the effects of goal setting and feedback applied to teacher behavior as a means of producing desired changes in students' behavior during consultation. Ss were 2 6-yr-old male students enrolled full time in a classroom for children with emotional disturbances. The classroom teacher: (1) identified up to 4 desired behaviors to increase for each student, (2) set a goal for the number of times she was to praise each student during a daily activity period, and (3) was given a feedback note each day listing the identified target behaviors as prompts and indicating whether she did or did not meet her self-imposed goal based on a classroom observation. The intervention was effective at increasing student behavior and was judged by the teacher to be acceptable. The implications of these results for incorporating teacher goal setting and feedback into consultation as a means of designing simple yet effective school-based interventions are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evaluation of the effects of feedback associated with a problem-solving approach to instruction on teacher and student behavior.

Conducted 2 experiments with 36 nonpermanently certified teachers to determine if feedback related to problem-solving competencies would result in changes in both teacher and student behavior. Results of Exp I (36 Ss) indicate that teachers who received in-class feedback for 2 specific teacher competencies were more effective than control teachers in (a) controlling their own behavior, and (b) reducing learner inattention. Results of Exp II (21 Ss) indicate that teachers who received in-class feedback for a 3rd specific teacher competency were more effective than control teachers as measured by their abilities (a) to attempt to diagnose more often, (b) to employ appropriate diagnostic procedures, and (c) to assist students ultimately in mastering previously missed questions. Thus, both experiments demonstrate that predicted changes in teacher and student behavior occur if teachers receive feedback associated with a problem-solving approach to instruction. (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The student as Pygmalion: Effect of student expectation on the teacher.

Two experiments examined the possibility that student expectations regarding a teacher's competence can be communicated to the teacher and bring about the expected behavior. In Exp I, 39 female undergraduates acting as students were administered a lesson by a teacher (confederate) who the students expected to be either effective or ineffective. Results show significant differences in student attitudes, performance, and nonverbal behavior according to expectation. In Exp II, confederates acting as students emitted either positive or negative nonverbal behavior toward 40 female undergraduates acting as their teachers. There were significant effects on teachers' attitudes and behavior. Moreover, ratings of the teacher by judges showed teachers were rated as being more adequate under conditions of positive student nonverbal behavior than negative nonverbal behavior. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Utilization of the simultaneous treatment design to improve student behavior in a first-grade classroom.

Presents a brief discussion of time-series designs and outlines the methodological limitations of the ABAB design, one of the most representative and widely used time series. The simultaneous treatment design is discussed as one means to avoid the serious limitations of the ABAB. A single case study is presented to demonstrate the utility of the simultaneous treatment design to modify the behavior of a 1st-grade male. One teacher and her aide recorded data and administered the program. The simultaneous treatment design allowed for statistical comparison of the treatment effects of 2 contingency programs administered simultaneously. The more effective program was successfully maintained. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sustainability of teacher expectation bias effects on long-term student performance.

In this article, we address the relationship between teacher expectation bias and student characteristics, its effect on long-term student performance, and the development of this effect over time. Expectation bias was defined as the difference between observed and predicted teacher expectation. These predicted expectations were estimated from a multilevel model in which teacher expectations of students' future performance in secondary education were regressed on students' prior achievement, IQ, and achievement motivation. Multilevel analyses were performed on a data set of about 11,000 students who entered secondary school in 1999 and who were monitored for 5 years. We found relationships between teacher expectation bias and student characteristics as well as a clear effect of expectation bias on long-term student performance. Teacher expectation bias partly mediated the effects of student characteristics on students' performance. Moreover, its effect was moderated by some of these characteristics. Mediation and moderation effects were the strongest for parents' aspirations. The effects of teacher expectation bias dissipated partly during the first 2 years but afterwards remained stable over time. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Setting the stage: Career development and the student engagement process.

A longitudinal model assessing the relationship between indices of career development (career planfulness and career expectations) and school engagement (belonging and valuing) was examined through structural equation modeling for a multiethnic sample of urban 9th-grade students (N = 416). The model was examined within the context of a career planning intervention implemented in 2 ethnically and racially diverse urban high schools. Higher levels of career planfulness and expectations at the beginning of the year were associated with increases in school engagement over the course of the year. The observed relationship between career planfulness and expectations and school engagement is consistent with emerging models of career development (e.g., R. T. Lapan, 2004) that seek to explicate the value of career development programming as a component of educational reform. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)