Centre for Positive Psychology and Education

Although a positive self-concept has been shown to be a crucial construct in many areas of human functioning, research evidence for the big-fish-little-pond effect (BFLPE) has demonstrated that students in high-ability classes and schools have lower academic self-concepts than their equally able counterparts in mixed-ability environments. To establish support for the generalisability of the BFLPE, it must be shown to exist in diverse cultural settings. Unfortunately, cross-cultural BFLPE research has been limited to mostly developed and individualist countries. The purpose of the present investigation was to evaluate the universality of the BFLPE across culturally and economically diverse countries.

The 2003 Program for International Student Assessment database (PISA) was used to address this aim. As the PISA data have a three-level hierarchical structure, multilevel modelling was used to ensure that results were not biased by ignoring the nested structure. Results indicated that the BFLPE was evident in 38 of the 41 countries in the sample. Moderating analyses revealed that the BFLPE was present irrespective of a country’s economic development or cultural orientation, thus supporting the generalisability of the BFLPE.

Marjorie Seaton is a Research Fellow in the Centre for Positive Psychology and Education at the University of Western Sydney, Australia. Marjorie trained as a teacher before taking up commercial appointments in the UK and Australia. She has an MA in French and History, a BA (Hons) in Psychology, and a PhD in Educational Psychology.  Awards for her work include the prestigious Australian Association for Research in Education PhD award for the best Australian PhD thesis in 2009. Marjorie has published in highly ranked refereed journals and influential monographs. Her research interests include gifted and talented education, social comparison, self-concept, anti-bullying interventions, and teacher feedback.