Great expectations: Pedagogical beliefs and instructional practices

Abstract

The implication that teachers with high expectations will improve student achievement has an appealing logic. However, whether or not the instructional practices and beliefs of teachers having high expectations would differ from those whose expectations were low has not previously been explored. High and low expectation teachers identified in a previous study were interviewed and observed teaching reading. Their beliefs and instructional approaches were found to differ substantially—high expectation teachers adopted a facilitative approach, while the practices and beliefs of low expectation teachers were more directive.