Self Fulfilling Prophecy Flashcards
Definition of self Fulfilling Prophecy
a prediction that comes true simply by virtue of it having been made
what do interactionists argue
labelling can affect pupils achievement by creating a self fulfilling Prophecy
what’s the first step
teacher labels a pupil (very intelligent)
based on this label the teacher makes predictions about him (will make outstanding academic progress)
what’s the second step
the teacher treats the pupil accordingly, as if the predictions are already true
e.g by giving him more attention and expecting a higher standard of work from him
what’s step 3
the pupil internalises the teacher’s self expectation, which becomes a part of his self image
what’s step 4
he now actually becomes the kind of pupil the teacher believed him to be in the first place
he gains confidence, tries harder and its successful
step 5
the prediction is fulfilled
who carried out the study of Oak community primary school, California
Rosenthal and Jacobson (1968)
what did the researchers tell the school
they had a new test specially designed to identify those pupils who would ‘spurt’ ahead
what did the teacher’s not know
it was false, the test was a standard IQ test
how many pupils were tested and how many were picked at random
all pupils were tested but 20% was picked at random
what did the researchers falsely tell the school about the 20% that were picked
these children were identified as ‘spurters’
what did the researchers find when they returned to the school a year later
47% of those who were identified as spurters had made significant progress
