ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the link between perceived teacher expectations and aspirations for maths-based studies in French-speaking Belgium. The sample consisted of 755 adolescents from Grade 12. The results indicated that perceived teacher expectations were associated with aspirations to study maths-intensive subjects, but this relation disappeared when motivational variables were controlled for. Multilevel logistic regression models indicated that gender, the number of maths periods per week, and some motivational variables (such as self-concept) had a stronger relationship with mathematical studies than perceived teacher expectations. Maths self-concept was strongly associated with teacher expectations for both genders. The analyses also revealed that a ‘big-fish-little-pond’ effect existed with regard to perceived teacher expectations in French-speaking Belgium, even when self-concept was controlled for.
