Teacher Expectations and their Need Support and Thwarting: An SDT Perspective on Ethnic and Socioeconomic Inequality in Education

In this study, we examined whether differences in teacher expectations for students from different backgrounds related to differentiation in teachers’ support for and thwarting of students’ psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Data were collected from 62 Dutch primary school teachers and 1,056 students (Grades 4-6) via questionnaires on teacher and student perceived need support and thwarting and teacher expectations, alongside students’ standardized test scores in reading and math. Analyses revealed that teachers had lower expectations for students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and higher expectations for students from stigmatized ethnic groups compared to other students. Students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds also experienced more need-thwarting teaching but not less need support. However, teacher expectations did not mediate the relationship between student background and need support or thwart. Altogether, the findings indicate that students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are at greater risk for lower teacher expectations and more perceived need thwarting.