Teacher Expectations & Testing - EPSY 2130

Pygmalion Effect

The phenomenon where higher expectations lead to higher performance in students.

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

A behavioral phenomenon where a belief or expectation about a situation or individual results in behavior that causes the belief to come true.

Halo Effect

The cognitive bias where the perception of one positive trait, such as physical attractiveness, influences the perception of other traits, such as intelligence.

Ability Grouping

The educational practice of placing students in groups based on their perceived ability or academic performance.

Flexible Grouping

An approach where students are grouped and regrouped based on their learning needs rather than fixed ability levels.

Formative Assessment

An ungraded evaluation process used before or during instruction to gauge student knowledge and readiness.

Summative Assessment

A post-test evaluation used to measure cumulative student achievement and performance.

Standardized Test

An assessment administered and scored in a consistent manner, often used on a state or national level to measure student progress.

Sustaining Expectation Effect

The phenomenon where teacher expectations do not adjust based on student improvement, maintaining their initial beliefs regardless of changes in student performance.

High SES

A term referring to students from high socioeconomic status backgrounds, who are often afforded higher expectations by teachers compared to low SES students.