Teacher Expectations and Relationship Formation Among High-Achieving Black Male Students (2015)

Undergraduate: Alecia Smith

Faculty Advisor: Suzanne Gulledge
Department: Political Science

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Teacher expectations have been found to have a significant impact on students¿¿¿ academic achievement. Students whose teachers hold the highest expectations of them often perform better academically as a result of positive teacher attitudes and behaviors. The purpose of this project is to begin to understand the effect of teachers¿¿¿ expectations on the academic outcomes of Black males ¿¿¿ the demographic for which teachers have been shown to hold the lowest expectations. Through interviews of nearly forty high-achieving Black male students, this project aims to understand the extent to which Black males are aware of and feel affected by biases against them, and to determine if any actions can be taken by students to challenge and overcome negative expectations. Specifically, this project evaluates the effects of strong student-teacher relationships on teachers¿¿¿ expectations of students and on students¿¿¿ subsequent academic outcomes.