The Role of Teacher Expectations in the Relationship between Students’ Socioeconomic Status and Mathematics Performance: A Mediation Analysis

Abstract

This study explored how teacher expectations might help explain the link between students’ socioeconomic status (SES) and their performance in mathematics in Junior High Schools across Ghana. Drawing on data from 243 students and their mathematics teachers, a quantitative, cross-sectional design and applied Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was employed to test whether teacher expectations served as a mediator between students’ backgrounds and their academic outcomes. The findings showed that students from higher socioeconomic backgrounds tended to do better in mathematics, and teachers generally held higher expectations for these students. However, in a surprising twist, higher teacher expectations were actually linked to lower student performance in mathematics. Furthermore, the study found no significant evidence that teacher expectations explained the SES achievement relationship. The study recommends providing targeted support for students from low-SES backgrounds, equipping teachers with training focused on equitable classroom practices, and strengthening school-level support systems to foster better outcomes for all learners.