Two experiments explored the informational value of teachers' verbal evaluative comments on perception of ability and effort among Chinese students in Hong Kong. Subjects were asked to rate the teacher's perception of ability and effort of one(Experiment 1) or two (Experiment 2) students with identical performance in a hypothetical situation under conditions that varied in (1) the performance outcome,(2) level of difficulty of the task, and (3) the teacher's evaluative comments. The results of this study do not support the findings of a German study by Meyer et al.(1979) on perceived ability. However, the findings of Meyer et al. on perceived effort received support. The results are discussed within the framework of teacher-student interaction in Hong Kong.
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