Teacher perceptions and teacher-student interaction in integrated classrooms

Teacher ratings of students’ potential achievement, classroom behavior, and personal characteristics, and teacher-student dyadic interaction measures were obtained to examine the nature of teacher perceptions and interaction with black and white, male and female students in integrated classrooms. Two-way (race × sex) multivariate analysis of variance of the ratings and interaction data yielded significant differences in teacher perceptions of their students according to race, with whites being rated more favorably than blacks. There were no significant sex effects or differences in teacher-student interaction. Examination of the relationship between student behavior and teacher ratings revealed differences between black and white students, suggesting that the teacher differentially interpreted the same student behavior depending on the students’ race.