Expectations of Teachers and Students: a Gifted Classroom Observed

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to enlarge on our understanding of the expectations of gifted students and their teachers in their classroom. Data were sought through participant observation and interviewing. Six domains of behaviour indicating teachers' expectations of themselves in the classroom were identified viz. as care-givers, authority figures, enforcers of order so that learning can take place, motivators, upholders of values and attitudes, and finally as teachers. Students' expectations were in the main compatible with teachers', their primary expectations being to learn and to have fun. A fit between student-teacher expectations is shown to be of major importance for successful teaching and learning.