INFLUENCE OF BEHAVIOR PERCEPTIONS AND GENDER ON TEACHERS JUDGMENTS OF STUDENTS ACADEMIC SKILL

This study evaluated the hypothesis that gender and behavior, as perceived by teachers, affect judgments of the academic skills of their students. A path model was proposed to describe the relationships among tested academic skill, gender, behavior grades, and teachers' academic judgments. The model was evaluated separately in each of 3 grades (kindergarten-2nd) in 2 locations, with scholastic grades and structured ratings in specific academic skill areas as the dependent variables. Results showed that, after tested academic skill and gender were controlled for, teachers' perceptions of students' behavior constituted a significant component of their scholastic judgments. This effect was more pronounced for the judgments of boys because, in Grades 1 and 2, their conduct was perceived as less adequate than was girls' behavior.