Students compare their achievement to different standards in order to evaluate their ability. We built on the theoretical frameworks of situated expectancy-value theory, dimensional comparison theory, and the big-fish-little-pond effect literature to examine the role of social and dimensional comparisons for ability self-concept and subjective task value (STV) in secondary school and university major choice. We used two German longitudinal data sets from different cohorts with data collection in 12th grade and 2 years after high school graduation (Study 1: N = 2,207, Study 2: N = 1,710). Dimensional and social comparisons predicted students’ self-concept and domain-specific STV in school: Individual achievement was positively related to ability self-concept and STV in the corresponding domain and negatively related in the noncorresponding domain. School-level mean achievement was negatively related to ability self-concept and STV in the corresponding domain. Dimensional comparisons were directly related to university major choice, social comparisons were only indirectly related.

学生将他们的成绩与不同的标准进行比较，以评估他们的能力。我们以情境期望值理论、维度比较理论和大鱼小池塘效应文献的理论框架为基础，研究了社会和维度比较对能力自我概念和主观任务价值 (STV) 的作用。中学和大学专业选择。我们使用了来自不同队列的两个德国纵向数据集，收集了 12 年级和高中毕业后 2 年的数据（研究 1：N = 2,207，研究 2：N = 1,710）。维度和社会比较预测了学生在学校的自我概念和特定领域的STV：个人成就与相应领域的能力自我概念和STV正相关，而在非相对应领域则与负相关。学校水平的平均成就与相应领域的能力自我概念和STV呈负相关。维度比较与大学专业选择直接相关，社会比较只是间接相关。