In a school where a teacher believes that girls are generally less adept in math, she tends to give less attention to her female students during math lessons. Over time, how might this belief and behavior create a self-fulfilling prophecy among her students?

When the teacher thinks girls are weaker at math, she may unconsciously ask boys more questions, explain steps more clearly, and praise boys more, while ignoring or correcting girls less often. Because girls receive less help and encouragement, they feel less confident and may not ask for help or participate, which makes their performance drop. Seeing this, the teacher’s belief is reinforced, so she continues to treat girls as less capable, creating a cycle. Over time, the girls’ grades decline, confirming the teacher’s initial expectation and completing the self‑fulfilling prophecy. For example, a girl who hesitates to answer a question because she feels ignored may skip practicing, leading to poorer results that match the teacher’s belief.