teacher expectationsclassroom managementengagementequityEU schoolsevidence-based teachingCLMP

The Pygmalion Effect: High, Fair Expectations for Every Student (EU-focused, teacher-friendly)

By Cristian

1) What it is (in 20 seconds)

The Pygmalion effect (teacher-expectation effect) is the finding that when educators expect more from students, they often teach and respond differently—giving richer questions, warmer feedback, and more opportunities—which can nudge achievement and confidence upward. The classic classroom experiment by Rosenthal & Jacobson (1968) popularized this idea. (SpringerLink)

A person holds a small green model car in front of a full-size green car—symbolizing how small expectations can scale into real outcomes; CLMP logo in the corner.

2) What solid research says

  • It’s real but usually modest and practice-mediated. A narrative review + meta-analysis of teacher-expectation interventions (19 studies) found that training teachers to use high-expectation practices raised teacher expectations and produced small, positive gains in achievement on average. Implementation support mattered. (tandfonline.com)
  • European evidence links expectations to both learning and wellbeing. A Swiss longitudinal study (28 teachers, 509 primary pupils) found higher teacher expectations in mathematics predicted bigger gains in achievement and improvements in self-concept with lower anxiety over the school year. (SpringerLink)
  • You can train “high-expectation teaching.” Trials that coached teachers in the concrete behaviours of high-expectation teachers (questioning, feedback, mixed-ability tasking, warm climate) reported improvements in classroom practice and student outcomes. (tandfonline.com)
  • State of the field (overview). Recent reviews map 30+ years of teacher-expectation research, summarising where effects are strongest and how classroom behaviours transmit expectations. (eclass.uowm.gr)

Takeaway: Expectations don’t work by “wishing.” They work because they change day-to-day teacher behaviours (who we call on, how we scaffold, the feedback we give).

3) What high vs low expectations look like in class

High-expectation teaching (do more of this):

  • Give challenging tasks to everyone with scaffolds (worked examples, sentence stems, peer help).
  • Ask open, probing questions; allow wait-time; invite multiple strategies.
  • Provide specific process feedback (“The plan you outlined helped your proof stay logical…”).
  • Build a warm, orderly climate (predictable routines, encouragement).
  • Set and monitor goals with students; make progress visible. (tandfonline.com)

Low-expectation signals (reduce these):

  • Pre-sorting pupils to easier work for long periods (“you three get the basics”).
  • Quick, closed questions to some students only; less think time.
  • Vague praise (“good job”) or only praising speed/correctness.
  • Colder tone or less eye contact with certain students. (eclass.uowm.gr)

4) Quick routines you can start tomorrow (primary & secondary)

A. Planning & tasks

  • All-play, scaffolded tasks: Keep the core task at year/grade level; provide tiered supports (hints, vocab banks, mini-worked example) instead of “easier worksheets.” (Primary: story problem with number line hints. Secondary: same algebra task, but optional step-by-step prompts.) (tandfonline.com)

B. Questioning & participation

  • Fair-turn tracker: Keep a simple list and tick who is called on; aim for balanced airtime across a week.
  • Wait-time norm: After asking, silently count to 3–5 before taking answers; then invite two volunteers to compare methods.

C. Feedback & language

  • Process-first feedback: Name the strategy/effort before correctness (“Your table helped you spot the pattern—now check row 3”).
  • “Not yet” framing: Replace labels (“weak at fractions”) with trajectories (“hasn’t automated fractions yet”). (eclass.uowm.gr)

D. Climate & expectations

  • Warm open, clear close: Greet at the door; end with a 60-second self-check (“What helped you learn today?”).
  • Goal cards: Students set a micro-goal for the unit (e.g., “use two reasons in PEEL paragraph”), reviewed each Friday.
  • Mixed-role grouping: Rotate roles (explainer, checker, summariser) so every student sometimes leads.

E. Assessment habits

  • Evidence beats gut: Use exit tickets/mini-quizzes + sample work folders to calibrate expectations.
  • See the growth: Chart “from–to” examples on the wall (anonymous), celebrating improvement.

Why these help: They encode high expectations into visible opportunities (challenge, turns, feedback) that research links to expectation effects and improved self-concept/anxiety. (SpringerLink)

5) Safeguards & equity (do no harm)

  • Check bias hot-spots: Newcomers, quiet students, those who previously struggled—review your tracker to ensure they get hard questions and rich feedback too.
  • No “belief instead of data”: Update expectations from fresh evidence (recent work, low-stakes checks).
  • Share success criteria: Make rubrics transparent; co-create “what good looks like.”
  • Department moderation: Compare samples across classes to align standards and avoid silent drift. (Reviews stress practice alignment to transmit expectations fairly.) (eclass.uowm.gr)

6) Where CLMP fits (practical use in your school)

  • Participation balance, at a glance: Quick taps to log participation/engagement surface under-called or over-called students during the lesson—helping rebalance turns.
  • Evidence trail, not hunches: Real-time notes + micro-checks create a record that calibrates your expectations beyond first impressions.
  • AI reports you can act on: Periodic class/student insights highlight who’s improving, who needs scaffolds, and potential expectation–opportunity gaps—all without cameras or mics (GDPR-friendly).
  • Nudges, not nags: Smart seating prompts and inclusive cold-calling suggestions encourage the behaviours behind high-expectation teaching.

7) One-page briefing for staff meeting (copy/paste)

  • If I believe they can, I must teach like they can.

  • This week I will:

    1. Give the core task to everyone with scaffolds;
    2. Track fair turns;
    3. Use process-first feedback;
    4. Log participation in CLMP and review the balance Friday.

References & further reading

  • Rosenthal, R., & Jacobson, L. (1968). Pygmalion in the Classroom. The Urban Review (classic expectancy experiment). (SpringerLink)
  • De Boer, H., Timmermans, A. C., & van der Werf, M. (2018). The effects of teacher expectation interventions on teachers’ expectations and student achievement: Narrative review and meta-analysis. Educational Research and Evaluation. (19 studies; small, positive average effects; importance of implementation.) (tandfonline.com)
  • Hollenstein, L., et al. (2024). Teacher expectations and their relations with primary school students’ achievement, self-concept, and anxiety in mathematics. Social Psychology of Education. (Swiss longitudinal study: expectations linked to higher achievement, better self-concept, lower anxiety.) (SpringerLink)
  • McDonald, L., et al. (2016). Teaching high-expectation strategies to teachers through professional learning. Professional Development in Education. (Practical PD route to high-expectation behaviours.) (tandfonline.com)
  • Rubie-Davies, C. M. (Intervention modelling of high-expectation practices; workshop approach and observed classroom changes). (Open versions/overviews.) (academia.edu)
  • Wang, S., Rubie-Davies, C. M., & Meissel, K. (2018). A systematic review of the teacher expectation literature (1989–2018). Educational Research and Evaluation. (Field map; how behaviours transmit expectations.) (eclass.uowm.gr)