Is the clique a pond? The big-fish-little-pond effect and the relative meaning of clique and classroom

IF 4.7 1区教育学 Q1 EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH Learning and Instruction Pub Date : 2024-09-18 DOI:10.1016/j.learninstruc.2024.101997

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Abstract

Background

Academic self-concept (ASC) is a key predictor of learning behaviors and educational outcomes. In adolescence, the evaluation of academic abilities is mainly shaped by the social environment and comparisons with various reference groups. The effect of making social comparisons with the academic achievement of a reference group is known as the big-fish-little-pond effect (BFLPE).

Aims

Based on social comparison theory and the local dominance effect (LDE), the present study aimed to investigate a pivotal adolescent reference group beside the classroom: the clique. We investigated to what extent students’ social comparison with the mathematics achievement of clique members was related to the ASC of individual students more than general classroom comparisons.

Sample

The sample comprised 743 German secondary students in sixth and eighth grade (93 cliques in 40 classrooms).

Methods

We estimated a three-level structural equation model using data from a two-wave longitudinal study in one school year. The change in students’ ASC was determined using latent change modeling.

Results

The average academic achievement of the clique negatively predicted ASC development. Classroom academic achievement had no effect.

Conclusions

The results underline the importance of informal peer groups like cliques as important reference groups for social comparisons and ASC development during adolescence.

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小团体是池塘吗？大鱼小池效应以及小团体和教室的相对意义

背景学业自我概念（ASC）是预测学习行为和教育成果的关键因素。在青少年时期，对学习能力的评价主要受社会环境和与不同参照群体比较的影响。本研究以社会比较理论和局部优势效应（LDE）为基础，旨在调查班级中一个重要的青少年参照群体：小团体。我们研究了学生对小团体成员数学成绩的社会比较在多大程度上比一般的课堂比较更能影响学生个体的 ASC。方法我们利用一学年两波纵向研究的数据估算了一个三级结构方程模型。结果小团体的平均学业成绩对 ASC 的发展有负面影响。结论研究结果表明，像小团体这样的非正式同伴群体是青春期社会比较和ASC发展的重要参照群体。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Learning and Instruction Multiple-

CiteScore

11.30

自引率

4.80%

发文量

109

期刊介绍： As an international, multi-disciplinary, peer-refereed journal, Learning and Instruction provides a platform for the publication of the most advanced scientific research in the areas of learning, development, instruction and teaching. The journal welcomes original empirical investigations. The papers may represent a variety of theoretical perspectives and different methodological approaches. They may refer to any age level, from infants to adults and to a diversity of learning and instructional settings, from laboratory experiments to field studies. The major criteria in the review and the selection process concern the significance of the contribution to the area of learning and instruction, and the rigor of the study.