Diagnostic labels cause a moderately negative overall effect on how adults evaluate children (g = −0.42)¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · quant-synthesis r? · q4 · i2 medium
Currency · newest study 2023 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q4 i2 Across 284 experimental effects, labeled children were evaluated significantly worse than unlabeled children, with an overall effect of g = −0.42. → Franz 2023

Evidence¶

Franz 2023¶

Franz, D. J., Richter, T., Lenhard, W., Marx, P., Stein, R., & Ratz, C. (2023). The Influence of Diagnostic Labels on the Evaluation of Students: a Multilevel Meta-Analysis. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-023-09716-6

q4 · i2 · quant-synthesis · r?

Multilevel meta-analysis of 284 effect sizes nested in 60 experiments from 57 publications, based on 8,295 participants, synthesizing experimental studies manipulating label presence. The pooled random-effects estimate was "g = -0.42" with a significant t test and 95% CI [−0.56, −0.28].

"We found an overall negative label effect size of g = -0.42 (k = 284, t(283) = -5.76, p < .001, 95% CI [−0.56, −0.28], Fig. 2)."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Label effects do not differ significantly across superordinate diagnostic categories, but subcategories differ, with combined intellectual-and-learning-disability labels most negative — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• Label effects are non-significant for attitudes toward the child, attributions of problem causes, and treatment-strategy evaluations — related
• Type of evaluation moderates the label effect, with academic evaluations and overall assessments most negatively affected — related
• Label-effect sizes are highly heterogeneous, with variance split between and within studies — related