ABSTRACT
Teacher expectations can create self-fulfi lling prophecies. In general, self-fulfi lling prophecies occur when false beliefs create their own reality (Merton, 1948). In the classroom, a self-fulfi lling prophecy occurs when a teacher holds an initially erroneous expectation about a student, and who, through social interaction, causes the student to behave in such a manner as to confi rm the originally false (but now true) expectation. Th e claim that teacher expectations create self-fulfi lling prophecies in the classroom was once controversial; now, such a claim is supported by abundant evidence (see Jussim & Harber, 2005, for a review of the controversies and evidence).
