The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which a teacher's orientation is related to differing perceptions of aggressiveness in girls than in boys. Sixty-nine female teachers in the first through sixth grades were asked to rate students in their classes on the following behaviors: Tries to be First or Best, Insults Others, Expresses Own Opinion, Hits Others, Physically Active, Destroys Others' Things, and is Aggressive. Teachers' sex-role attitudes were measured using the Bem Sex-Role Inventory (Bem, 1974) and the Scott Sex-Role Inventory (Scott & Brantley, 1983) (which also measures teachers' knowledge about sex-role stereotyping). Results offered no evidence that teachers perceive of nonhurtful behaviors such as Expresses Own Opinion and Physically Active differently in girls than in boys. Moreover, the teachers' ratings of the aggressiveness of their students was highly associated with their ratings of the students' nonhurtful as well as hurtful behaviors, and was not associated with their own sex roles. Finally, modifications were discussed that would improve chances of demonstrating a relationship between a teacher's sex-role orientation and implicit definition of aggression in girls and in boys
