Comparison of Teachers' and Children's Perceptions of Social Dominance

Abstract

Teachers' and children's perceptions of social dominance in fourth-grade classes were examined. 3 female teachers' rankings of “toughness” and “getting one's own way” among the 32 boys and 20 girls in Grade 4 were compared to hierarchies based on class consensus. Results indicated that only 1 of the 3 teachers showed significant agreement with her student's rankings, defined the terms like the children, and generated overlapping hierarchies as the children did. All 3 teachers and the children ranked boys higher than girls on toughness, but teachers' patterns diverged on the “own way” term The inconsistencies between teachers' and children's perceptions suggest that the basis for their rankings should be studied.