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4. Lecturer’s Beliefs
Before starting the class, all of the lecturers have already set their standard to be achieved by every student in the class. The goals of teaching or the
standards are stated in the syllabus given to every student in the first meeting of the class. Then, the self-fulfilling prophecy is started from there. All of the
participants said that they implement self-fulfilling prophecy from the first time they meet their students. It happened when the lecturers believed that all of their
students are good and the lesson will be well achieved. As Peterson 1992 states, trust or belief is a part of self-fulfilling
prophecy. Hence, the way lecturers believed on their s tudents’ achievement can be
defined as self-fulfilling prophecy. “At first, all of you deserve to get an A. At the end, all of you also
deserve to get an A but it depends on the tests ” – Mr. Daniel,
13032015 The way Mr. Daniel implemented self-fulfilling prophecy is to make equality to
his students. At first, he gave an A for all of his students. Then, in the end of the class, the result is, of course, based on the test. At least, he tried to set his
expectations to their students at the same stage at the beginning. Each lecturer has their own way to believe in their students. They put their trust to the students to
make the students either engaged to the lecturers or the teaching-learning process. Every trust that they put on their students is based on their goal that they set from
the beginning of the class. Ms. Martha shared how she built the trust between her and her students,
“So, I see that we must to listen to our students first. We have to make them believe in us first, and then they will believe everything we talked
58 to them. That’s my opinion because for me, communication starts with
connection… That is the motto that I always apply in my life”. Ms. Martha, 25032015, my translation
All of the participants agreed that being a lecturer is not only about asking for respect from their students. Lecturers are the learning facilitators that
students should feel comfortable around. Ms. Martha believed that when the lecturers have made a good connection with their students, the lecturers would be
way much easier to deliver material to the students. Make a good connection to the students means the lecturers must have a good relation in order to know their
students’ potentials. Moreover, Mr. Jono has the same perception to Ms. Martha’s on self-fulfilling prophecy,
“The meaning of self-fulfilling prophecy is actually to give a label on a phenomenon. When we give a label or a certain judgement, it will affect
the quality or attribute that is also on the characteristic of the child or the men whom we labelled. This means that when we labelled someone is
good, then it will appear good sustainable qualities by itself.” – Mr. Jono, 23032015, my translation
Labeling here, in the self-fulfilling prophecy means belief or trust. As what Peterson 1992 believes, one of the vital components to develop a healthy
level of motivation is trust. When lecturers be lieve in their students’ potentials
then the potentials will increase like what the lecturers expect. Mr. Daniel shared when lecturers give a label to their students, meaning the lecturers want to know
which treatment should be given to the students. Being asked the same question, Ms. Martha stated that giving a label to the students is a must. However, it must
be in a positive way. She stated that the label is not to see who the smartest and less smart student is. It is, more or less, to know what the students need. In class,
most of the participants have done such kind of placement test to know where the
59 students occupying the level. Mr. Daniel also has the same opinion with Ms.
Martha that the purpose of labeling is to know which students who need more help.
“What I usually do is directly mapping whenever I enter the class. It is to know which one is active and inactive students. So far, there is no
different treat to a number of students; my treatment is the same to every
student.” - Mr. Daniel, 13032015, my translation Moreover, in giving such kind of label, Ms. Richa assumed that it should
not be intended to discriminate the students. Self-fulfilling prophecy has its role on giving a label to the students. Yet, though the students are at a high and low
level, lecturers should have believed in t heir students’ potentials or achievements
no matter what. It must be done that way to see each student objectively. “If we are being judgmental, we will not be able to see something
objectively. So, that’s one thing that I avoid from the first time whenever
I teach, I try hard not to be a judgmental person”. Ms. Richa, 11032015
The participants shared that implementing self-fulfilling prophecy might bring both positive and negative sides. Yet, based on the interview, most of the
participants implemented the positive side of self-fulfilling prophecy. The example of implementing self-fulfilling prophecy in a negative way is that when
lecturers expect too much on the students without seeing the students ’ condition.
Another example is when the lecturers become subjective to several students because the lecturers only believe in the potentials of several students in the class.
One of the participants, Ms. Martha, shared that it is quite natural to have a kind of spontaneous negative self-fulfilling prophecy. Mr. Jono shared that he has once
given negative label to his students.
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