Association of Teachers' Perceptions with Second Graders' Behavior and Academic Achievement

This study was designed to address the following questions (a) to what extent do teachers' judgments of students' academic competence and problematic behavior agree with direct assessments of reading and self-regulation? (b) to what extent are teachers' judgments affected by students' race and gender? And, if they are affected by students' race and/or gender, are these race and gender differences reflected in the direct assessments and (c) to what extent do teachers' judgment of their students' academic competence and problematic behavior predict spring reading and self-regulation outcomes, controlling for fall scores. The study examined second graders' (n=570 students, 40 classrooms, 8 schools) self-regulation skills using the Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders Task (HTKS). The Woodcock Johnson Achievement - Passage Comprehension subtest was utilized as a measure of reading ability. Of the sample, 39% of the children were African American (Black), 48% were White. 47% were boys. Teachers' ratings of students' academic competence generally agreed with direct assessment of reading however agreement was greater for academic competence than for problematic behavior. This is likely because teachers had access to the students' reading assessments. At the same time, teachers' judgments appeared to be influenced by students' gender and race; they generally rated African American boys to be less academically competent than White boys, and less competent than girls regardless of race. Teachers' judgments predicted spring outcomes even when controlling for fall scores.