Big-fish–little-pond effect

The fish pond effect ( from the English. Big -fish -little- pond -effect ( BFLPE ), formerly also reference group effect) describes the pedagogy, the phenomenon that students in her class have by less powerful classmate a stronger motivation to learn, as their services stand out there more often, are particularly honored and they are anxious to keep their lead. This is especially true for students whose self-esteem is not particularly strong. On the advice of psychologists, some parents send their children targeted to schools that have a reputation of a moderate power levels. Herbert W. Marsh states, according to the BFLPE that " comparable gifted students develop a less pronounced self-concept when they visit a school for gifted students better, and that they form a higher high self- concept if they attend a school with little talent level."

The precluding the Reflected - Glory- Effect ( also assimilation effect), which describes the special incentive of a student at a school with the familiar high level of performance.

The fish pond effect is an addition of the two effects of "negative contrast effect " and " positive (but smaller ) assimilation effect", whereby a total of a negative correlation of the mean power level of the reference group with the self-concept of a student occurs.

Empirical Studies

Germany 1991

With the reunification the East German school system was established in 1991 largely resolved. Meanwhile, students who had previously been deliberately not grouped by performance, were now distributed according to their abilities on main, secondary schools and high schools of the West German school system. A study by Herbert W. Marsh, Olaf Koeller and Jürgen Baumert showed at the beginning of the school year for the first joint for two years separated taught West German students a significant impact of the fish pond effect. The East German students who had been informed not yet selected, showed no significant effect at the beginning of the school year. The difference between the two groups was lost as expected to the end of the school year.

PISA 2003 study

As part of the data of the PISA study, a study on the generalizability of the Big -fish -little- pond effects was by Herbert W. Marsh and Kit -Tai Hau performed. This showed that the negative effect of the middle school achievement levels on the math self-concept of students for 24 of the 26 countries considered significantly turned out, was not significantly negative for the remaining two. Thus, there is a very good proof of the generalizability of the BFLPE about different cultures and education systems.

Australia

The SELF Research Centre in Australia is currently conducting an investigation with floats (sic ) of different power groups through in a competition.

Term origin

Fish pond effect is the shortened translation of the English big -fish -little- pond -effect (German: big fish little pond effect). Coined the term in 1984 by Herbert W. Marsh, the founder of the Australian SELF Research Centre.

The term illustrates that in a small pond which only a few large fish can still be noticed while in a large lake, a large fish is no longer a special addition to the many other large fish; for there still to be able to notice a fish must therefore be even greater, or transfer: still have better grades in school. The imagery is not entirely successful, because the statement of the fish pond effect does not apply to small schools ( small pond ), but to those with weaker students ( small fish ).