What can teachers achieve by clearly communicating expected attitudes and behaviors?

What can teachers achieve by clearly communicating expected attitudes and behaviors?

• A. Enhanced student relationships
• B. Higher test anxiety
• C. More discipline problems
• D. Reduced participation

Answer: (D)

Clear communication of how students should think and act gives them a concrete framework for engaging in class. When everyone understands the norms and expectations, there’s less guesswork and fewer off-task interruptions. That means behavior is more aligned with the group's goals, so disruptive or inappropriate participation decreases. In that sense, the most direct outcome described is a reduction in participation that deviates from the expected conduct, creating a more orderly environment for the kind of productive participation you want to see. While clearer expectations can also help relationships and typically reduce anxiety and discipline problems, the specific classroom effect emphasized here is the trimming of off-task or disruptive participation through clearly stated norms.

Clear communication of how students should think and act gives them a concrete framework for engaging in class. When everyone understands the norms and expectations, there’s less guesswork and fewer off-task interruptions. That means behavior is more aligned with the group's goals, so disruptive or inappropriate participation decreases. In that sense, the most direct outcome described is a reduction in participation that deviates from the expected conduct, creating a more orderly environment for the kind of productive participation you want to see.

While clearer expectations can also help relationships and typically reduce anxiety and discipline problems, the specific classroom effect emphasized here is the trimming of off-task or disruptive participation through clearly stated norms.