Effects of Programmatic Selectivity on the Academic Achievement, Academic Self-Concepts, and Aspirations of Gifted College Students

Rinn, Anne N.

doi:10.1177/0016986207302718

Cited by 73 publications

(111 citation statements)

References 54 publications

(70 reference statements)

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“…In comparing gifted college students who were enrolled in an honors program and gifted college students who were not enrolled in an honors program, Rinn (2007) found gifted college students who are enrolled in an honors program have significantly higher academic self-concepts than gifted college students who are not enrolled in an honors program, even after controlling for SAT scores. Although not a direct examination of the BFLPE, these findings lend some support to the notion that the BFLPE might not exist at the university level.…”

Section: Evidence That Reveals the Limitations Of The Bflpe Paradigmmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Big-Fish-Little-Pond Effect: What Do We Know and Where Do We Go from Here?

2008

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The big-fish-little-pond effect (BFLPE) refers to the theoretical prediction that equally able students will have lower academic self-concepts in higher-achieving or selective schools or programs than in lower-achieving or less selective schools or programs, largely due to social comparison based on local norms. While negative consequences of being in a more competitive educational setting are highlighted by the BFLPE, the exact nature of the BFLPE has not been closely scrutinized. This article provides a critique of the BFLPE in terms of its conceptualization, methodology, and practical implications. Our main argument is that the BFLPE, while having added to our understanding of the origins of self-concepts, disproportionately emphasizes one aspect of social comparison to the exclusion of many other intervening factors. In light of our critique, we suggest a broader conception of social comparison effects on academic self-concept that emphasizes a more active role of individuals in regulating their social cognition and motivation, as well as a more distinct effect of social-contextual influences. We also suggest alternative research designs that would incorporate contextual, developmental, and individual differences as potential moderators or mediators of the BFLPE. What is the BFLPE?The big-fish-little-pond effect (BFLPE) was proposed by Marsh and Parker (1984;Marsh 1984Marsh , 1987 based on the assumption that students use a local "frame of reference" to form their self-concepts on a relevant dimension of the self. Marsh and Parker operationalized the frame of reference or standard of comparison to be school-average ability level 1 . Thus, the general theoretical prediction based on the BFLPE is that equally able students will have lower academic self-concepts in higher average-ability schools but higher self-concepts in comparatively lower average-ability schools. In plain language, whether one perceives oneself as a big fish depends on the size of the other fish (more accurately, the average size of the other fish) in the pond. The stronger the peer group as a frame of reference, the lower one's academic self-concept. By the same token, weaker peer groups lead to higher academic self-concepts.Since Marsh and his colleagues proposed the BFLPE model, numerous studies have been conducted to date (see Marsh and Hau 2003;Marsh et al. 2005;Marsh et al. 2007, for most recent studies), and the areas where the BFLPE is investigated have also been extended from academic to artistic and athletic, among others (e.g., Chanal et al. 2005). The research interest generated by the BFLPE model is largely due to its practical implications. Marsh (1987;Marsh et al. 2004) has repeatedly warned that parents who are eager to send their children to selective schools should be aware of possible negative consequences associated with the BFLPE. Moreover, based on the fact that people are constantly working in social settings that potentially provide social comparative information and salient cues for social comparison, the BFLPE shoul...

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Section: Evidence That Reveals the Limitations Of The Bflpe Paradigmmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Big-Fish-Little-Pond Effect: What Do We Know and Where Do We Go from Here?

2008

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“…Thus, merely knowing that one is accepted for an honours programme may already affect the students' self-perceived ability. The two effects may balance each other, or one of the two may be more prevalent (Rinn, 2007). To be able to control for a possible reflected glory effect when studying the effects of honours programme participation, we examined this effect in the present study.…”

Section: Abilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of honours programme participation in higher education: a propensity score matching approach

Kool

Mainhard

Jaarsma

et al. 2017

Higher Education Research & Development

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Honours programmes have become part of higher education systems around the globe, and an increasing number of students are enrolled in such programmes. So far, effects of these programmes are largely under-researched. Two gaps in previous research on the effects of such programmes were addressed: (1) most studies lack a comparable control group of students not enrolled in honours programmes and (2) few studies have longitudinally investigated effects of honours programmes on student characteristics other than academic achievement. By using propensity score matching, the current study investigated the effects of Dutch honours programmes on students' ability, motivation, creativity and academic achievement. Students' selfperceived ability, perseverance, mastery orientation, performance orientation, intellectual curiosity and self-efficacy, as well as students' gender and study grades were used to match undergraduate honours students to non-honours students (N = 94). Results showed no overall differences in ability, motivation and creativity halfway into the honours programme, although honours students seemed to slightly increase in intellectual curiosity, while non-honours students tended to decrease in mastery orientation. Outcomes of the study give rise to considerations about the role of honours programmes in curricula.ARTICLE HISTORY

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“…Comparing honors and non-honors students of the entire freshman population at Louisiana Tech University, a comprehensive public university, Kaczvinsky (2007) found that honors students were more academically confident, more intellectually interested, and more open to new ideas than their non-honors peers were. Rinn (2007) focused on the motivational differences between honors and gifted non-honors students, in a sample of 294 bachelor students in various disciplines in a large university in the Midwest of the United States. She found that honors students appeared to be more confident in their abilities.…”

Section: Differences Between Honors and Non-honors Studentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Do honors students have more potential for excellence in their professional lives?

et al. 2011

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Universities in many countries increasingly value talent, and do so by developing special honors programs for their top students. The selection process for these programs often relies on the students' prior achievements in school. Research has shown, however, that school grades do not sufficiently predict academic success. According to Renzulli's (1986) three-ring model, student characteristics relating to intelligence, motivation and creativity are the most important predictors of excellent achievements in professional life. In this paper, we will investigate whether honors students differ from non-honors students in terms of these characteristics. By means of a questionnaire, more than 1,100 honors and non-honors students at Utrecht University were asked to assess themselves on six characteristics: intelligence, creative thinking, openness to experience, the desire to learn, persistence, and the drive to excel. The results showed that the honors students differed significantly from the non-honors students in terms of the combined variables as well as for the separate variables, with the exception of 'persistence'. The strongest distinguishing factors between honors and non-honors students appeared to be the desire to learn, the drive to excel and creativity, whilst there was little difference in terms of intelligence and persistence. However, the profiles of these differences varied according to the study program. While Law and Humanities honors students differed from their nonhonors peers in terms of their drive to excel, Physics honors students were primarily more eager to learn than their non-honors peers, while the LA&S honors students scored higher on creative thinking than non-honors students.

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Effects of Programmatic Selectivity on the Academic Achievement, Academic Self-Concepts, and Aspirations of Gifted College Students

Cited by 73 publications

References 54 publications

The Big-Fish-Little-Pond Effect: What Do We Know and Where Do We Go from Here?

The Big-Fish-Little-Pond Effect: What Do We Know and Where Do We Go from Here?

Effects of honours programme participation in higher education: a propensity score matching approach

Do honors students have more potential for excellence in their professional lives?

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