Students’ Expectations as Related to a Teacher's Expectations and Self-Concepts of Elementary Age Children

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the differential influence that a teacher's expectations, self-concept, and sex had on students’ expectations of motor task performance. The subjects were 63 third grade and 53 fourth grade children from a Wake County public school in North Carolina. Both groups were taught by the same teacher who was trained in elementary physical education. The teacher was asked to rate her students according to how she expected each to perform in terms of physical achievement. The subjects were administered the Motor Performance Expectancy Scale to determine the expectation levels of the third and fourth grade groups. The Martinek-Zaichkowsky Self-concept Scale for Children identified whether self-concept was significantly influenced by students’ expectancy levels for motor performance. Regression analyses showed that for both the third and fourth grade groups, teacher's expectations and self-concept were significant contributors to the variability of motor expectancy scores. The teacher's expectation was the largest contributor of the two variables in both grades. Also, the students’ sex had little effect on the students’ expectations.