Teacher bias blamed as fat children fall behind
OBESE pupils get lower grades because of teachers’ bias against fat children, research suggests.
A study found teachers perceived heavier children as less able in the classroom – regardless of their actual test scores.
Experts warned that pupils who experience ‘anti-fat’ bias in the classroom could underachieve because of lower expectations and a lack of confidence.
Research has already shown overweight people are less likely to be picked for a job or promotion.
In the latest study, more than 3,300 children were given maths and reading tests at age ten and again aged 14.
The study from Harvard’s school of public health found that, while weight gain had no effect on actual test marks, teachers rating the academic ability of the pupils gave obese children lower scores. In all cases, as weight went up, teachers’ evaluations went down.
Teachers’ perceptions of boys’ reading ability decreased more if the boys had been heavier to start with, compared with those who were only just beginning to gain weight.
The study said: ‘An increase in Body Mass Index (BMI) scores was significantly associated with worsening teacher perceptions of academic ability for both boys and girls, regardless of objectively measured ability in standardised test scores.’ It recommended schools bring in programmes to ‘reduce bias and promote positive climates’.
The US study, published in the International Journal of Obesity, adds to evidence from the UK that bigger pupils fare worse.
A study published last year of nearly 6,000 children in south-west England found higher body weight at 11 years old predicted lower scores on standardised tests at ages 11, 13 and 16. For girls this was the equivalent of gaining a grade D at GCSE rather than a C.
Angela Meadows, a Birmingham University psychology researcher, said: ‘It seems likely that at some point, lower expectations and lack of confidence will start to impact on actual in-class behaviour. We need to be focusing on the detrimental impact of the way heavier children are treated.’
‘Detrimental impact’