Lookism” a Critical Analysis of Teachers’ Expectations Based on Students Appearance

Researching Bias A Look at “Lookism” A Critical Analysis of Teachers’ Expectations Based on Students Appearance Debra DeCastro-Ambrosetti & Grace Cho Introduction theory that analyzes racial inequity and 350 elementary teachers in a large, urban the social construction of race and dis- district. Each teachers was given a color As educators in the United States, we crimination. These concepts are present photo of each student along with the stu- have been socialized to believe that our in the work of many notable scholars, dents’ progress reports. The participants mission in teaching is to play nice and treat including Gloria Ladson-Billings whose were asked to predict, based upon the all of our students the same, regardless of writings on Culturally Relevant Pedagogy documents they were given, how a student race, ethnicity, class, or gender. What is (1995) has been a major contribution to would fare in terms of attitude, work hab- often missing in this teaching-all-equally the understanding of educational equity. its, parental interest, and peer relations. approach is a counter-narrative that ques- Further, distinctions have surfaced within They found that attractiveness may have tions whether teachers can in fact suc- CRT which seek to account for such factors influenced the teachers’ perceptions of cessfully act as the gate keepers of equal as gender, language, and oppression. students initially, but that the student’s educational opportunities. Persell (1977) has offered four pos- record was the most influential factor. The concept of educational inequality sible reasons why teachers may hold lower While this early research, now several has been the focus for many researchers, expectations for certain students. The first decades old, is of interest and potential im- each trying to arrive at the root of the reason is tied to the distinct personality of portance, the critical question currently is problem in order to offer possible solu- the teachers themselves. The second sug- whether similar issues of student appear- tions. These different perspectives and gests that teachers are exposed to certain ance play a gate-keeping role in teaching possible answers have ranged from a socializing experiences in addition to their today. Whether photos or written records focus on IQ as in Jensen’s deficit of Blacks own prejudices. The third considers how are influencing teachers’ expectations of theory (Jensen, 1969), to IQ deficit as it re- teachers are influenced by research and students, both must be considered short- lates to the lower social classes (Eysenck, ideas such as the IQ deficit and cultural sighted and inappropriate ways to make 1971; Herrnstein, 1973), and continuing deficit theories. Finally, Persell suggests judgments and are an invitation to exercise with the cultural deficit theory which re- that certain educational structures, for underlying and possibly even unconscious lates familial, linguistic, cognitive, and at- instance tracking, influence teachers’ ex- prejudices on the part of teachers. titudinal backgrounds to lower academic pectations of students. achievement (Valentine, 1968). Studying What each of these theories has in Considering Teacher Expectations common is that they position students Physical Appearance within structures of dominance that are To gain further insight on these issues, indicated by race or class and more indi- Another influencing factor that may our study focused on the teacher and on rectly by appearance and/or language. The contribute to teachers’ expectations for the expectations he or she may hold for problem with this is that such structures their students can be linked to the stu- students based on their physical character- of dominance implicate teachers and place dents’ physical appearance. The concept istics. We anticipated that the responses blame on students as victims rather than of physical appearance influencing a would be complex. Initially, however, we holding responsible the larger frameworks teacher’s expectation of specific students were guided by one simple question: What or institutions that imposed these societal was first noted by Clifford and Walster do teachers think of their students based constraints. Further, these structures of (1973). Their study found that the physi- on the students’ physical characteristics? dominance negatively influence teachers’ cal attractiveness of a student was directly These characteristics were assumed to expectations for students. related to the teacher’s expectations of include race, gender, and, to some extent, Critical Race Theory (CRT) is another the student’s intelligence, popularity, and social class. educational motivation. In addition to this initial question, we Debra DeCastro-Ambrosetti Adams and LaVoie’s (1974) study asked ourselves what perceptions, racist and Grace Cho are professors looked at the effect that physical attrac- or otherwise, might teachers have about in the College of Education tiveness had on teachers’ expectations of their students? Are teachers, as they have at California State University, Fullerton, students. They examined the responses of positioned themselves within classroom Fullerton, California. discussions and debates, neutral and color WINTER 2011 51 Linguistically Diverse Students & Their Families blind, treating all of their students the adolescent’s race and gender. The ado- respondents associated academic success same way? Or do they base their assump- lescents in the photos were all in the 15- with students of Asian heritage. tions on a lifetime lived in a greater society to-17 years-of-age range and were shown In response to the statement “identify in which racism and stereotypes exist? in typical school attire and settings. The which student is most likely to excel in ath- Historically the teachers’ role has been photos showed their faces and upper torsos letics,” the participants identified Hispanic to evaluate their students from the earliest only. They all appeared well groomed. All and Black males as the most likely destined years of schooling, beginning with screen- of the adolescents were dressed casually. for athletic success, at 66% and 17% respec- ing for kindergarten. In performing these None were in dress clothes. Their attire tively. Since we purposely chose photos of responsibilities, do teachers approach consisted of stylish tee shirts, sweaters, well groomed adolescents of different races their students with ingrained beliefs which polo shirts, etc. and gender in neutral attire, with none influence their perception of students? Below the photos were a series of of the subjects shown in athletic attire, it To illuminate these possibilities our selected, intentionally inflammatory state- seems clear that our respondents perceive aim was to examine a specific form of ments specifically written to elicit each athletic success to be associated with the prejudice known as lookism, which Ayto participant’s perception of specific racial Hispanic and Black racial groups. (1999) defines as “prejudice or discrimina- group members. Participants were then We felt that responses to the state- tion on the grounds of appearance” (p. 485). asked to link each statement to a photo ment “identify which student is most likely How do such prejudices impact whether which portrayed a specific racial group. to: join a gang, get involved in drugs, and, students will be treated equally? For instance, one statement asked the par- finally, commit a crime before graduating” ticipants to identify which student would reflected the perceived as outsiders cat- Methodology be most likely to commit a crime before egory. We chose this label to indicate the graduating high school. students who were, for whatever reason, The participants for our study were Based upon their own experiences, perceived as marginalized from the larger 226 secondary education teacher candi- students were asked to pair the photo society. Notably, perceived as outsiders was dates enrolled in professional education which best represented the statement. By a male dominated category. For example, classes in a suburban university in South- asking the participants to choose the pho- 39% of the respondents identified the Black ern California. To attain a representative tos which best represented the statements male and 24% of the respondents selected sampling of teacher candidates in each we hoped to uncover their individual un- the Asian male as most likely to have gang level of our program in secondary educa- derlying perceptions, or hidden prejudices. affiliations. The photos that were used to tion the participants—students in nine By including 226 participants in the study, represent both the Asian and Black males education classes—completed an anony- we intended to highlight 226 individual again aimed at neutrality and depicted mous, attitudinal survey. perceptions that teacher candidates have these students in academic attire—not An attitudinal survey was chosen as about adolescents. From these percep- identifiable gang-wear. the primary research instrument in order tions we then hoped to identify a pattern In response to the question about to solicit teacher candidates’ perceptions of thought illuminating how teacher can- which student would be “involved in about adolescents based on the adoles- didates perceive adolescents based upon drugs,” 39% of the respondents identified cents’ physical characteristics. The survey their physical characteristics, recognizing the White male and 21% chose the Black consisted of a series

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