Is Silence Golden? Elementary School Teachers' Strategies and Beliefs Regarding Hypothetical Shy/Quiet and Exuberant/Talkative Children

• Published in: Journal of educational psychology 2011-11, Vol.103 (4), p.939-951
• Main Authors: Coplan, Robert J., Hughes, Kathleen, Bosacki, Sandra, Rose-Krasnor, Linda
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Academic Achievement; Biological and medical sciences; College Students; Educational psychology; Elementary School Students; Elementary School Teachers; Elementary Schools; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Human; Interpersonal Relationship; Learning; Learning Strategies; Male; Measures (Individuals); Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Shyness; Silence; Social Interaction; Social Learning; Socialization; Student attitudes; Student Behavior; Student Characteristics; Student Teacher Relationship; Teacher; Teacher Attitudes; Teachers; Teaching Methods; Timidity; Vignettes
• ISSN: 0022-0663; 1939-2176
• DOI: 10.1037/a0024551

The primary goal of the present study was to examine elementary teachers' strategies, attitudes, and beliefs regarding hypothetical shy (i.e., quiet), exuberant (i.e., overly talkative), and average (i.e., typical) children. We explored whether these strategies and beliefs varied as a function of the gender of the hypothetical child as well as teachers' own shyness. Participants were 275 elementary school teachers (241 women, 34 men) ranging in age from 23 to 64 years (M = 40.97, SD = 10.02). Teachers were presented with vignettes depicting hypothetical children displaying shy/quiet, exuberant/talkative, or average/typical behaviors in the classroom and responded to follow-up questions assessing their strategies and beliefs. Teachers also completed a self-report measure of shyness. Among the results, teachers were more likely to respond to exuberant/talkative children with high-powered and social learning strategies and to employ peer-focused and indirect strategies for shy/quiet children. Teachers also believed that shy/quiet children were less intelligent and would do more poorly academically than would exuberant/talkative children. However, some of these findings were moderated by teachers' own level of shyness. Results are discussed in terms of their educational implications for the social and academic functioning of shy and exuberant children.