Effects of teachers’ comments and expectations on the learning experiences of students

The purpose of this paper is to explore and describe the feelings and emotions of the students studying in both SSC (Matriculation) and GCE (Ordinary Level) systemsof schools in Karachi, Pakistan when their teachers pass comments and/or communicate expectations from them. It further seeks to identify the response of students on it and the effects of these comments and expectations on students’ performance. This is a qualitative study based on the design of phenomenological inquiry. Data were collected using in-depth semi-structured open-ended interviews and results were critically analyzed and interpreted. The focus of this study was mainly on the student's experiences because it is very crucial for the educators and decision makers to analyze and understand the students’ position about certain phenomenon. Student's personal experiences regarding this issue are discussed at length in this paper. When I started analyzing the data I realized that the students from GCE system expressed a strong belief that their teacher's expectations have a profound effect on the formulation of their self-perception and on their motivational level. On the other hand however some students from the matriculation side expressed very reluctantly that they don't have much experience of this phenomenon in their school settings. This paper endeavors to bring to light the interconnection between teacher expectations with self-awareness, self-discipline, self-assurance, motivation and anxiety in a few cases as emerged from the data collected for this study.