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Expectations of teachers for physically handicapped and normal first grade students
Summary
Teachers unexpectedly held higher expectations for physically handicapped students compared to their non-handicapped peers. This finding in special education suggests potential biases influencing teacher perceptions and interactions with students.
Area of Science:
- Education
- Psychology
- Special Education
Background:
- Teacher expectations significantly influence student academic and social outcomes.
- Understanding role expectations for students with physical disabilities is crucial for inclusive education.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if teachers' student role expectations differ for physically handicapped versus physically normal first-grade students.
- To identify potential underlying reasons for any observed differences in expectations.
Main Methods:
- A descriptive study design was employed.
- Data were collected on teachers' expectations for two groups of first-grade students: those with physical handicaps and those without.
Main Results:
- Contrary to predictions, teachers demonstrated statistically significantly higher expectations for physically handicapped students.
- Potential explanations for these inflated expectations include social desirability bias or a "haloing" effect.
Conclusions:
- Teachers may hold unrealistically high expectations for students with physical disabilities.
- Inflated expectations could lead to negative outcomes if students do not meet these elevated standards, impacting student-teacher dynamics.