How do peer groups influence academic self-concept formation? We evaluate developmental issues in the big-fish-little-pond effect (BFLPE; negative effects of class-average achievement on math self-concept [MSC]) and its generalizability to peer-group-average achievement (1,017 primary-school students tested in Years 4 and 6, 46 classes, 130 peer groups). The effects of peer-group-average and class-average achievement on MSC were both negative when we considered these two contextual effects separately. However, the effect of peer-group-average became nonsignificant in models with both contextual effects; the negative effect of class-average achievement was relatively unaffected. Results for peer-group-average achievement contradict predictions based on local dominance theory (that the BFLPE should be more negative for peer-group-average achievement than the more local frame of reference, a contrast effect) and social comparison choice studies (that peer-group-average achievement effects should be positive, an assimilation effect). Unsurprisingly, we found BFLPEs based on class-average achievement and gender differences favoring boys in both Years 4 and 6. However, consistent with theories of the cognitive development of social comparison and gender socialization/intensification processes, we also found negative effects of class-average and gender differences favoring boys on change in MSC (MSC in Year 6 controlling for MSC in Year 4) over this critical late-childhood period. Our results support the robustness of the BFLPE based on class-average achievement and developmental processes underpinning it, but do not support the posited effects of peer-group-average achievement. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)

中文翻译：

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学业自我概念的形成和同伴群体的传染：小学课堂和同伴群体中大鱼小塘效应的发展。

同伴群体如何影响学术自我概念的形成？我们评估了大鱼小池塘效应（BFLPE；班级平均成绩对数学自我概念 [MSC] 的负面影响）的发展问题及其对同龄人平均成绩的普遍性（1,017 名接受测试的小学生4 和 6 年级，46 个班级，130 个同伴小组）。当我们分别考虑这两种背景影响时，同龄人平均成绩和班级平均成绩对 MSC 的影响都是负面的。然而，在具有两种情境效应的模型中，同龄人平均水平的影响变得不显着；班级平均成绩的负面影响相对不受影响。同龄人平均成绩的结果与基于局部优势理论（即 BFLPE 对同龄人平均成绩的负面影响应该比更本地的参考框架、对比效应）和社会比较选择研究（即同龄人- 群体平均成就效应应该是积极的，一种同化效应）。不出所料，我们发现基于班级平均成绩和性别差异的 BFLPEs 在 4 年级和 6 年级都有利于男孩。然而，与社会比较和性别社会化/强化过程的认知发展理论一致，我们还发现班级-在这个关键的儿童后期阶段，平均和性别差异有利于男孩的 MSC 变化（第 6 年的 MSC 控制第 4 年的 MSC）。我们的结果支持基于班级平均成绩和支持它的发展过程的 BFLPE 的稳健性，但不支持同龄人平均成绩的假设效应。（PsycInfo 数据库记录 (c) 2020 APA，保留所有权利）