Visible Learning: A Synthesis of Over 800 Meta-Analyses Relating to Achievement

by John Hattie

There has been a long search for which particular students are differentially affected by teacher expectations. Dusek and Joseph (1983) found that student attractiveness (d = 0.30), student prior conduct in class, cumulative folder information (d = 0.85), and social class (d = 0.47 for high and middle compared to low) were related significantly and positively to teacher expectancies. Factors not related included number of parents at home, student gender (d = 0.20), previously-taught siblings, name stereotypes, and student ethnicity. But when teachers were given more pertinent information (such as academic information) then factors such as attractiveness became less important.