Class in the classroom: an exploratory study investigating teachers’ implicit biases under the right to education act in india

Abstract

This thesis explores the implicit class-based biases that shape teacher-student interactions in Right to Education (RTE)-mandated classrooms in India. It aims to contribute to the broader conversation on educational inequality by examining how teachers’ unconscious attitudes toward socioeconomic status play out in everyday classroom dynamics. Drawing from theories in social cognition and educational psychology, the study looks at how these implicit perceptions influence expectations, evaluations, and engagement with students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Based on qualitative data—collected via employment of vignettes survey—the research finds that teachers often rely on class-coded heuristics like parental involvement, speech, and demeanor to gauge student potential. These quick, unconscious judgments tend to favor students with middle-class cultural capital, subtly influencing academic expectations, discipline, and access to opportunities. While teachers express the intent to be inclusive and supportive, the study shows how implicit bias can quietly reproduce inequality. The thesis calls for teacher training and policy interventions that directly address these unconscious biases, urging a shift toward more genuinely inclusive and responsive classroom practices under the RTE framework.