Knowledge Bank

Teacher expectations have been studied in many different settings. One place where they have not been investigated is music education. 167 psychology students participated in a study designed to put them in the position of a teacher or advisor. They were asked whether they would encourage a male or female student to pursue a career in music. They then rated the importance of talent and effort to that student’s success or failure. It was expected that attributions of talent and effort would be different for male and female students. It was found that there are some pattern differences in these attributions.