The interaction process between teacher and students: The labeling of students on the basis of relative characteristics

Achievements of students in primary education have been an area of interest for a number of years. Both individual and contextual characteristics have proved their value for the prediction of these achievements. In this paper a theoretical model of the time and attention division of the teacher is elaborated. From this model, hypotheses are deduced about the labeling of a student as a problem student, and the possible referral of problem students to special education. Relative student characteristics are predicted to be of more importance than absolute characteristics. Hypothesis testing was based on data from 2,340 students in the Netherlands. The hypotheses were confirmed. Labeling of problem students is based on the relative achievements and relative behavior of students, while the referral to special education also can be predicted on the basis of relative achievements.