Teacher Reactions to the Label of Educable Mentally Retarded

This paper investigates the connotations associated by classroom teachers to the label of educable mentally retarded and the ability of this label to influence teachers’ perceptions of child performance. Data show that teachers hold negative expectancies toward children labeled EMR and that these expectations are sufficient to bias the teachers’ interpretations of videotaped behavior. These results are related to the Barber et al. (1969) model of the expectancy phenomenon and show that the label of EMR meets at least three of the criteria necessary for the establishment of a self-fulfilling prophecy. It is concluded that labeling a child EMR may well reduce the effectiveness of the services made available through such labeling and the development of noncategorical programs is recommended.