| This study investigated the effect of child gender on elementary school teachers' perceptions of, and responses to, oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). Participants (N = 145) read a vignette describing a fictional child's oppositional behavior and rated the severity and disruptiveness of the behavior as well as their likelihood of enacting particular responses to the behavior. Two forms of the vignette were administered, which were identical, with the exception of child gender, and included ODD symptoms thought to be descriptive of both boys and girls. Results indicated that child gender did not affect teachers' perceptions of oppositional behavior or their responses to the behavior, with one exception; teachers were more likely to call girls' parents to inform them of the oppositional behavior than to call boys' parents. Teachers were also more likely to have had actual oppositional boys in their classes who were similar to the child in the vignette than actual oppositional girls. Additionally, if teachers had referred a similar oppositional student for psychological assessment in the past, they were more likely to refer the fictional student described in the vignette. These results suggest that teachers do not generally demonstrate gender bias in their perceptions of, and responses to, oppositional behavior. Findings are inconsistent with prior research, which has typically found that boys are more likely than girls to be referred for assessment, especially as a result of externalizing problems. Possible explanations for this inconsistency and for other findings are discussed, highlighting the potential roles of gendered symptom expression, comorbidity, and recent changes in school referral procedures. |
