Loading...
Moderation of the big-fish-little-pond effect : Juxtaposition of evolutionary (darwinian-economic) and achievement motivation theory predictions based on a Delphi approach
Marsh, Herbert W. Xu, Kate M. Parker, Philip D. Hau, Kit-Tai Pekrun, Reinhard Elliot, Andrew Guo, Jiesi Dicke, Theresa Basarkod, Geetanjali
Marsh, Herbert W.
Xu, Kate M.
Parker, Philip D.
Hau, Kit-Tai
Pekrun, Reinhard
Elliot, Andrew
Guo, Jiesi
Dicke, Theresa
Basarkod, Geetanjali
Abstract
The big-fish-little-pond effect (BFLPE), the negative effect of school-/class-average achievement on academic self-concept, is one of educational psychology’s most universal findings. However, critiques of this research have proposed moderators based on achievement motivation theories. Nevertheless, because these motivational theories are not sufficiently well-developed to provide unambiguous predictions concerning moderation of the BFLPE and underlying social comparison processes, we developed a Theory-Integrating Approach; bringing together a panel of experts, independently making theoretical predictions, revising the predictions over several rounds based on independent feedback from the other experts, and a summary of results. We pit a priori hypotheses derived from achievement motivation theories against the more parsimonious a priori prediction that there is no moderation based on previous BFLPE empirical research and Darwinian-economic theory (N = 1,925 Hong Kong students, 47 classes, M age = 12 years). Consistent with both BFLPE research and Darwinian perspectives, but in contrast to achievement motivation theory predictions, the highly significant BFLPE was not moderated by any of the following: prior achievement, expectancy-value theory variables, achievement goals, implicit theories of ability, self-regulated learning strategies, and social interdependence theory measures. Although we cannot “prove” that there are no student-level moderators of the BFLPE, our synthesis of social comparison posited in the BFLPE theory and an evolutionary perspective support BFLPE’s generalizability. We propose further integration of our Theory-Integrating Approach with traditional Delphi methods, combining quantitative and qualitative approaches to develop a priori theoretical predictions and identify limitations in existing theory as an alternative form of systematic review.
Keywords
big-fish-little-pond effect, social comparison processes, academic self-concept, achievement motivation theory, Darwinian economics, theory-integrating Delphi Method
Date
2021
Type
Journal article
Journal
Educational Psychology Review
Book
Volume
33
Issue
4
Page Range
1353-1378
Article Number
ACU Department
Institute for Positive Psychology and Education
Faculty of Education and Arts
Faculty of Education and Arts
Files
Relation URI
Source URL
Event URL
Open Access Status
Published as green open access
License
File Access
Open
Controlled
Controlled