From a Marxist perspective, which group is more likely to receive negative teacher expectations and which is more likely to receive positive ones?

• A. Middle-class students are more likely to receive negative teacher expectations; working-class more positive.
• B. Working-class students are more likely to receive negative teacher expectations; middle-class more positive.
• C. Both groups are equally labeled by teachers.
• D. Teachers' expectations do not affect labeling.

Answer: (B)

In a Marxist view of schooling, education helps reproduce existing class inequalities. Teachers’ expectations are shaped by students’ social class, so working-class students are more likely to be viewed as less capable and to receive negative expectations. At the same time, middle-class students are seen as more capable and ready for advanced work, leading to positive expectations. Those expectations influence feedback, opportunities, and student self-perception, which in turn shape performance and outcomes, reinforcing the class structure across generations. So the working-class are more likely to receive negative labeling, while the middle class are more likely to receive positive labeling. The idea that labeling is the same for all or that teacher expectations don’t affect labeling doesn’t fit how schooling can reproduce inequality.