Abstract
A multiracial/multiethnic sample of middle school adolescents and their teachers was used to assess whether teacher ratings of student behavior problems varied according to teacher-student racial/ethnic differences and students' perception of teachers' attitudes toward them. No significant mean score differences were found for Hispanic or non-Hispanic white students according to the race/ethnicity of the teachers doing the ratings. However, African American students rated by Hispanic and non-Hispanic white teachers had significantly higher mean total behavior problem scores than African American students rated by African American teachers. Teacher ratings were also compared to those made by parents. The percentage of students rated as cases by teachers but not by parents differed significantly by race/ethnicity of student. Other findings indicated highly significant relationships between student-perceived teacher disparagement and the assignment of high behavior problem scores to students by teachers.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Achenbach, T. M. (1991).Integrative guide for the 1991 CBCL/4-18, YSR, and TRF Profiles. Burlington: University of Vermont.
Achenbach, T. M., Bird, H. R., Canino, G., Phares, V., Gould, M. S., & Rubio-Stipec, M. (1990). Epidemiologic comparisons of Puerto Rican and U.S. mainland children: Parent, teacher, and self-reports.Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adedescent Psychiatry, 29, 84–93.
Achenbach, T. M., & Edelbrock, C. (1983).Manual of the Child Behavior Checklist and Revised Child Behavior Profile. Burlington: University of Vermont.
Achenbach, T. M., & Edelbrock, C. (1986).Manual for the Teacher's Report Form and Teacher Version of the Child Behavior Profile. Burlington: University of Vermont.
Babad, E., Bernieri, F., & Rosenthal, R. (1991). Students as judges of teachers' verbal and nonverbal behavior.American Educational Research Journal, 18, 211–234.
Bachman, J., O'Malley, P., & Johnston, L. (1978).Youth in transition: Vol. 6. Adolescence to adulthood: Change and stability in the lives of young men. Ann Arbor, MI: Institute for Social Research.
Barrington, B., & Hendricks, B. (1989) Differentiating characteristics of high school graduates, dropouts, and nongraduates.Journal of Educational Research, 82, 309–319.
Bennett, R., Gottesman, R., Rock, D., & Cerullo, F. (1993). Influence of behavior perceptions and gender on teachers' judgments of students' academic skill.Journal of Educational Psychology, 85, 347–356.
Bird, H. R., Gould, M. S., Rubio-Stipec, M., Staghezza, B. M., & Cannino, G. (1991). Screening for childhood psychopathology in the community using the CBCL.Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 30, 116–123.
Bohrnstedt, G., & Knoke, D. (1982).Statistics for social data analysis. IL: F. E. Peacock.
Brandenburg, N. A., Friedman, R. M., & Silver, S. E. (1990) The epidemiology of childhood psychiatric disorders: Prevalence findings from recent studies.Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 29, 76–83.
Brattesani, K., Weinstein, R., & Marshall, H. (1984). Student perceptions of differential teacher treatment as moderators of teacher expectation effects.Journal of Educational Psychology, 76, 236–247.
Brophy, J. (1983). Research on the self-fulfilling prophecy and teacher expectations.Journal of Educational Psychology, 75, 631–661.
Brophy, J., & Good, T. (1974).Teacher-student relationships: Causes and consequences. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.
Brosnan, F. (1983). Overrepresentation of socioeconomic minority students in special education programs in California.Learning Disabilities Quarterly, 6, 517–525.
Calabrese, R., & Poe, J. (1990). Alienation: An explanation of high dropout rates among African American and Latino students.Educational Research Quarterly, 14(4), 23–26.
Coleman, L., Jussim, L., & Isaac, J. (1991). Black students' reactions to feedback conveyed by White and Black Teachers.Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 21, 460–481.
Costello, E. J., & Janiszewski, S. (1990). Who gets treated? Factors associated with referral in children with psychiatric disorders.Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 81, 523–529.
Cronbach, L. J. (1951). Coefficient alpha and the internal structure of tests.Psychometrika, 16, 297–334.
Eaves, R. C. (1975). Teacher race, student race, and the Behavior Problem Checklist.Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 3, 1–9.
Edmonds, R. (1986). Characteristics of effective schools. In U. Neisser (Ed.),The school achievement of minority children (pp. 93–104). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Goodenow, C. (1993). Classroom belonging among early adolescent students: Relationships to motivation and achievement.Journal of Early Adolescence, 13(1), 21–43.
Goodlad, J. (1984).A place called school: Prospects for the future. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Hawkins, J. D., Von Cleve, E., & Catalano, R. F. (1991). Reducing early childhood aggression: Results of a primary prevention program.Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 30, 208–217.
Hawkins, J., Doueck, H., & Lishner, D. (1988). Changing teaching practices in mainstream classrooms to improve bonding and behavior of low achievers.American Educational Research Journal, 25, 31–50.
Hirschi, T. (1969).Causes of delinquency. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Hudley, C. (1993). Comparing teacher and peer perceptions of aggression: An ecological approach.Journal of Educational Psychology, 85(2), 377–384.
Jussim, L. (1989). Teacher expectations: Self-fulfilling prophecies, perceptual bias, and accuracy.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57, 469–480.
Jussim, L. (1991). Grades may reflect more than performance: Comment on Wentzel.Journal of Educational Psychology, 83, 153–155.
Kagan, D. M. (1990). How schools alienate students at risk: A model for examining proximal classroom variables.Educational Psychologist, 25, 105–125.
Kaplan, H. B., & Fukurai, H. (1992). Negative social sanctions, self-rejection, and drug use.Youth and Society, 23, 275–298.
Kaplan, H. B., Johnson, R. J., & Bailey, C. A. (1986). Self-rejection and the explanation of deviance: Refinement and elaboration of a latent structure.Social Psychology Quarterly, 49, 110–128.
Lethermon, V., Williamson, D., Moody, S., & Wozniak, P. (1986). Racial bias in behavioral assessment of children's social skills.Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 84, 329–337.
Loeber, R., & Dishion, T. (1983). Early predictors of male delinquency: A review.Psychological Bulletin, 93, 68–99.
Mailander, J., Rubin, A., & Doig, S. K. (1993, January 19). Black students twice as likely to be suspended.The Miami Herald, pp. 11A.
Marcus, G., Gross, S., & Seefeldt, C. (1991). Black and White students' perceptions of teacher treatment.Journal of Educational Research, 84, 363–367.
Marshall, H., & Weinstein, R. (1984). Classroom factors affecting students' self-evaluations: An interactional model.Review of Educational Research, 54(3), 301–325.
McConaughy, S. H., Stanger, C., & Achenbach, T. M. (1992). Three-year course of behavioral/emotional problems in a national sample of 4- to 16-year-olds: I. Agreement among informants.Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 313, 939–940.
Sugai, G., & Maheady, L. (1988, Fall). Cultural diversity and individual assessment for behavior disorders.Teaching Exceptional Children, pp. 28–31.
Tomlinson, J., Acker, N., Conter, A., & Lindborg, S. (1977). Minority status and school psychological services.Psychology in the Schools, 14, 454–460.
Tucker, J. (1980). Ethnic proportions in classes for the learning disabled: Issues in nonbiased assessment.Journal of Special Education, 14, 93–105.
Verhulst, F. C., & Koot, H. M. (1991). Longitudinal research in child and adolescent psychiatry.Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 30, 361–368.
Wehlage, G. C., & Rutter, R. A. (1986). Dropping out: How much do schools contribute to this problem?Teachers College Record, 87, 374–392.
Williams, T. (1976). Teacher prophecies and the inheritance of inequality.Sociology of Education, 49, 223–236.
Ysseldyke, J., Thurlow, M., Graden, J., Wesson, C., Algozzine, A., & Deno, S. (1983). Generalizations from five years of research on assessment and decision making: The University of Minnesota Institute.Exceptional Education Quarterly, 4, 75–93.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
This research was supported by a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, R01DA05912; William A. Vega, Principal Investigator. The authors express their appreciation to Superintendent Octavio Visiedo, Dr. James Mennes, Dr. Sylvia Rothfarb, and the cooperating staff and teachers of the Dade County Public Schools for their support in the conduct of this research.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Zimmerman, R.S., Khoury, E.L., Vega, W.A. et al. Teacher and parent perceptions of behavior problems among a sample of African American, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic white studients. Am J Commun Psychol 23, 181–197 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02506935
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02506935