Effects of ethnicity and sex on teachers' expectations of junior high school students

This study examines the degree to which students' ethnicity and sex affect teachers' expectations. Data were obtained from a survey of junior high school students and teachers in Winnipeg, Manitoba, a major, multi-ethnic Canadian city. Two questionnaires were used to obtain the data: One measured the teachers' expectations of their homeroom students; the other measured the students' demographic characteristics, abilities, performances, and expectations of themselves. We examined the teachers' expectations of students from six ethnic groups. After controlling for the students' socioeconomic status, intellectual ability, academic performance, and expectations, we found that their ethnicity and sex had an effect on their teachers' expectations. This evidence suggests that teachers may use such ascribed characteristics in their evaluations of students.