Abstract
Teachers will take part in a survey‐based vignette experiment in which they evaluate hypothetical profiles of incoming students. Each participating teacher will be randomly assigned to view one of two types of student profiles:
(i) a cooperative student and
(ii) a non-cooperative student,
where the cooperative vs. non-cooperative signal is described as originating from information provided by the student’s previous school (e.g., comments at the time of transfer). For the assigned profile, teachers will be asked to read a brief description of the student and then rate a series of statements on Likert-type scales.
The survey items will capture:
Perceptions and practices – Teachers will rate statements about how they would approach teaching and classroom management for this student (e.g., expected effort they would invest, monitoring and feedback practices, differentiation, communication with families, and willingness to seek additional support).
Perceived drivers of change in behavior and achievement – Teachers will rate the extent to which various factors would contribute to improving or worsening the student’s behavioral and academic outcomes. These factors may include the teacher’s own instructional and classroom management practices, the student’s motivation and self-regulation, peer relationships, family environment, and school-level supports.
By randomly assigning teachers to evaluate either the cooperative or the non-cooperative student profile and collecting their ratings on perceptions, intended practices, and perceived drivers of change, the experiment will allow us to isolate how initial behavioral signals from a previous school shape teachers’ expectations, planned responses, and attributions regarding future behavioral and academic trajectories.