In the 1960s, a pair of researchers ran an experiment that changed the way the world thinks about expectations. Robert Rosenthal and Lenore Jacobson told a group of teachers that some of their students had been identified as having the potential to become very high achievers and that these students would bloom over the course of the year.
These pupils were, in fact, chosen completely at random. But when the researchers returned at the end of the year, they found that the chosen students had, on average, made significantly more progress than their peers.
The impact of having high expectations came to be known as the Pygmalion effect. In Greek mythology, Pygmalion was a sculptor who carved a statue so beautiful that he fell in love with it. His adoration was so strong that the gods turned the stone into a real woman. In sociology, the term is used in reference to living up to someone else’s high standards and expectations.
The opposite of this is the Golem effect – named after a mythical violent monster – where low expectations can lead to people performing worse as a result of other people’s expectations.
Now, 50 years on from that seminal study, we now even more about the power of expectations. Here are five ways to maximise their power in your classroom:
Distinguish between aspiration and expectation
There is a subtle but important distinction between aspiration and expectation. Aspirations are about wanting to be better, whereas expectations convey a belief about the likelihood of success. Raising expectations has been proven to help pupils, but the same can’t be said for aspirations.
The Education Endowment Foundation review on aspirations found that “interventions which aim to raise aspirations have little to no positive impact on educational attainment”. One of the reasons for this is that many students already have high aspirations. The disconnect occurs in the gap between having these ambitions and developing the habits required to reach these lofty goals.
A recent study found that students who have high aspirations but low expectations are twice as likely to get less than 5 GCSEs at A*-C than their peers who have both high aspirations and high expectations.
Do it early
Research suggests that the effect of expectations is most pronounced at the start of the school year or at the beginning of new tasks and topics. This is because students tend to start projects with an open mind about how they will fare – and they are looking for guidance on what it is possible for them to achieve. Make sure they hear a positive voice – full of belief and conviction that they can succeed – before their self-doubt starts to creep in.
Get parents involved
Psychologists have calculated that when high expectations are only coming from teachers, they will only help a minority of students – parents play a huge role in shaping how young people see themselves. A recent review on how parents can help their children succeed at school found that high expectations had the greatest impact. Valuing education and expecting children to succeed, conveys the importance and likelihood of success in school.
Be realistic
A word of caution is needed when it comes to expectations. More is not always better. Evidence suggests that when expectations are unrealistic – that is, if they far exceed a child’s ability – this can lead to a downturn in academic performance. Furthermore, these excessive expectations can be a source of stress and anxiety for students. When it comes to expectations, it seems that the Goldilocks rule applies – too little or too much and it is no good. Challenging but realistic should be the guiding principle.
Encourage high self-expectations
The way that students think about themselves will have a big impact on the way they behave. One study had participants spend five minutes thinking about the attributes of a college professor before answering questions from the game Trivial Pursuit. The results? These students answered more correct answers than those who had not been primed to think like a professor.
For students who do not see themselves in a positive light, it can be very helpful to create a culture of growth mindset. This is the belief that students can improve by working hard and learning from their mistakes. It can be fostered by having them reflect on their processes, focus less on their natural ability and developing their self-talk.
If expectations are pitched at the right level, to be both challenging and realistic, they can help students to improve their performance and academic achievement. If these expectations are aligned to those of parents and the students themselves, and are communicated from the beginning of a new topic, there is a chance of making a meaningful impact.
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