Discusses the label of "whole language teacher" and expresses that the author's concern about being named one is based on his sense that names matter; he worries about who is doing the naming and for what purpose. Concludes that whole language is needed as a way of creating community to support all those language teachers who "teach against the…

Two papers examine perceptions about gifted students. In the first, studies related to labeling gifted children are reviewed. The report cites the uncertain nature of the results and the differing opinions about labeling. A brief overview of the evolution of labeling theory as an outgrowth of social deviance theory is also included. The second…

Teachers of culturally different students must be aware of the stereotypes they hold, how these stereotypes have evolved, and the effect of these stereotypes on classroom interactions. They must learn to deal with students as unique individuals with diverse interests and needs. To develop such insight, teachers need in-depth knowledge of…

Research indicated that hearing-impaired subjects' perceptions of others' evaluations of them were more positive for the hard-of-hearing than for the deaf and suggested that observed higher self-esteem of the hard-of-hearing resulted indirectly from these differential perceptions rather than directly from the labels "deaf" and…

The extent to which special education teachers judged the mathematics performance of a fourth-grade youngster to be a function of his handicapping condition and/or his competence was evaluated. Results are discussed with regard to previous research and implications for reducing the effects of labels. (Author/GK)

Discusses labels such as "dyslexic,""disadvantaged," and "emotionally disturbed" that adversely affect teachers' attitudes toward students; urges teachers to take care that the shape of the world and the shape of the children who inhabit it are not distorted by labeling and restricted definitions. (GT)

A study that measured 65 teachers' attitudes toward the labels "gifted,""normal,""physically handicapped,""mentally retarded,""learning disabled," and "emotionally disturbed" revealed that the first three labels are significantly more positive than the last three, which suggest negative stereotypes. (Author/RL)

Predictions were obtained from 36 regular classroom teachers on the videotaped performance of a child labeled either as gifted, normal, or educable mentally retarded. A significant interaction between label and length of exposure was indicated. (CL)

Approximately 500 students in special programs for the gifted were surveyed regarding their attitudes toward the programs and especially toward their identification as gifted. (DLS)

Elementary teachers (N=276) reviewed a vignette of a hypothetical gifted student described as having either mild or moderate behavioral problems and either nonlabelled or labelled as behaviorally disordered (BD). Teachers were more likely to refer the mildly disturbed student for placement in a gifted program and were not significantly influenced…

The overrepresentation of ethnic minority students, particularly African American males, in the exclusionary discipline consequences of suspension and expulsion has been consistently documented during the past three decades. Children of poverty and those with academic problems are also overrepresented in such discipline consequences. Sadly, a…

The study explored teacher attitudes towards gifted programming and the gifted label, and determined whether teacher attitudes changed after being involved with an elementary school gifted program. Twenty-nine elementary classroom teachers in Jefferson County, Colorado, were surveyed as their school was beginning to host a full-time,…

Attitudes of male and female college students are compared after having taught a successful or unsuccessful simulated student who was labeled as either an underachiever or overachiever. The data showed that the performance of the child was the major factor in determining the teachers' attitudes. (Author/RC)

The study involving 57 high school and elementary teachers investigated whether teachers hold different stereotypes for labeled remedial reading (RR) and labeled learning disabled (LD) students than for unlabeled students, and whether elementary and secondary teachers differ in the stereotypes they may hold regarding learning disabled and remedial…

The paper, given by the director of a project to train teachers for early childhood education programs which integrate handicapped and normal children, focuses on the effects of labeling on teacher-child interaction. The author recounts her own experience with teaching handicapped children and the historical tendency to label and segregate various…