General and Special Educators' Predictions of Student Success as a Function of Learner Characteristics and Teacher Experience

Abstract

This study compared the influence of teacher and learner characteristics on general and special educators' predictions of student success. Two groups of teachers, 384 general educators and 384 special educators, reported year of experience and responded to case studies describing a student for whom gender, reading achievement, social behavior, and attentiveness were manipulated experimentally. Results indicated (a) when predicting academic success, general educators make lower predictions than special educators as a function of students' reading achievement; (b) when predicting social success, teachers respond differently as a function of students' behaviors as they interact with reading achievement; and (c) compared to novice teachers, experienced teachers make more positive predictions of social success regarding both aggressive and friendly students. The authors discuss the complexity of the interactions of teachers' and students' characteristics and their implications for the classroom.