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What’s in a name: the effect of category labels on teachers’ beliefs

Lookup NU author(s): Emeritus Professor Simon Gibbs

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This is the authors' accepted manuscript of an article that has been published in its final definitive form by Routledge, 2020.

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Abstract

In this paper, we report an investigation of the possible influence on teachers’ essentialist thinking and efficacy beliefs of category labels used to describe children’s educational difficulties. A 2x2x2 counterbalanced design was employed in which primary school teachers in Finland and the UK were exposed to vignettes that portrayed a child exhibiting difficulties in one of two domains: either behaviour or reading. Vignettes were presented in two versions. In one, the child was labelled as having either ‘ADHD’ or ‘Dyslexia’; in the alternate condition no such label was ascribed, descriptions identical in all other respects. Participating teachers were presented with two vignettes, one from each domain and in each condition. Responses to measures of Efficacy and Essentialist beliefs were solicited. Overall responses indicated that category labels evoked stronger essentialist beliefs but did not influence teachers’ efficacy beliefs. Finnish teachers reported stronger essentialist and lower efficacy beliefs than their counterparts in the UK.

Publication metadata

Author(s): Gibbs S, Beckman JS, Elliott J, Metsapelto RL, Vehkakoski T, Aro M

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: European Journal of Special Needs Education

Year: 2020

Volume: 35

Issue: 1

Pages: 115-127

Online publication date: 18/08/2019

Acceptance date: 25/07/2019

Date deposited: 26/07/2019

ISSN (print): 0885-6257

ISSN (electronic): 1469-591X

Publisher: Routledge

URL: https://doi.org/10.1080/08856257.2019.1652441

DOI: 10.1080/08856257.2019.1652441

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