Are Teachers' Expectations Different for Racial Minority Than for European American Students? A Meta-Analysis

• Published in: Journal of educational psychology 2007-05, Vol.99 (2), p.253-273
• Main Authors: Tenenbaum, Harriet R, Ruck, Martin D
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: African American Students; Asian American Students; Biological and medical sciences; Classroom Communication; Comparative Analysis; Educational psychology; Ethnicity; Expectations; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Hispanic American Students; Human; Interpersonal Communication; Meta Analysis; Minority Group Children; Minority Groups; Minority students; Negative Attitudes; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Racial and Ethnic Attitudes; Racial Bias; Racial discrimination; Racism; Referral; Student Diversity; Systematic review; Teacher; Teacher Attitudes; Teacher Expectations; Teacher Expectations of Students; Teacher Influence; Teachers; White Students
• ISSN: 0022-0663; 1939-2176
• DOI: 10.1037/0022-0663.99.2.253

Four quantitative meta-analyses examined whether teachers' expectations, referrals, positive and neutral speech, and negative speech differed toward ethnic minority students (i.e., African American, Asian American, and Latino/a) as compared with European American students. Teachers were found to hold the highest expectations for Asian American students ( d = −.17). In addition, teachers held more positive expectations for European American students than for Latino/a ( d = .46) or African American ( d = .25) students. Teachers made more positive referrals and fewer negative referrals for European American students than for Latino/a and African American students ( d = .31). Although teachers directed more positive and neutral speech (e.g., questions and encouragement) toward European American students than toward Latino/a and African American students ( d = .21), they directed an equal amount of negative speech (e.g., criticism) to all students ( d = .02). In general, teachers' favoring of European American students compared with African American and Latino/a students was associated with small but statistically significant effects. The meta-analyses suggest that teachers' expectations and speech vary with students' ethnic backgrounds.