Is teacher judgment accuracy of students’ characteristics beneficial for verbal teacher-student interactions in classroom?

To support individual learning, teachers have to accurately judge student characteristics such as pre-achievement and self-concept of ability as pre-requisites for learning (Corno, 2008). This study investigated whether teacher judgment accuracy in interplay with student characteristics was predictive for verbal teacher-student interactions. A video study of N_S = 348 students in N_C = 18 mathematics classrooms was conducted. Multilevel analyses showed that student self-concept was predictive of verbal teacher-student interactions. In addition, adaptive teacher questions were observed for students with lower pre-achievement. Conclusions with regard to adaptive functions of teacher judgment accuracy in the process of teaching are drawn.