Social Comparison Effects on Academic Self-Concepts--Which Peers Matter Most?

Autor/inn/en	Jansen, Malte; Boda, Zsófia; Lorenz, Georg
Titel	Social Comparison Effects on Academic Self-Concepts--Which Peers Matter Most?
Quelle	In: Developmental Psychology, 58 (2022) 8, S.1541-1556 (16 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Jansen, Malte) ORCID (Lorenz, Georg)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0012-1649
DOI	10.1037/dev0001368
Schlagwörter	Self Concept; Peer Relationship; Academic Achievement; Social Networks; Network Analysis; Foreign Countries; Secondary School Students; Grade 9; Grade 10; Comparative Analysis; Germany + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Selbstkonzept; Peer-Beziehungen; Schulleistung; Social network; Soziales Netzwerk; Netzplantechnik; Ausland; Sekundarschüler; School year 09; 9. Schuljahr; Schuljahr 09; Deutschland
Abstract	Social comparisons with peers are important sources of self-development during adolescence. Many previous studies showed that students' academic self-concepts (ASC) form by contrasting one's own achievement with the average of one's class or school (the Big-Fish-Little-Pond Effect [BFLPE]). Based on social comparison theory, however, we would expect some peers to be more likely social comparison targets than other peers, for example, because they are more visible or students perceive them as similar to themselves. In this study, we used sociometric data to analyze which peers play the most important role for social comparison effects on ASC. We examined how the average achievement of friends, study partners, peers perceived as popular by the student, as well as same-gender and same-ethnic peers affect the general ASC and how these effects compare to the effect of the classroom's average achievement. The study was based on a German longitudinal sample of 2,438 students (44% no recent immigrant background, 19% Turkish immigrant background, 10% Eastern European immigrant background, 27% other immigrant background) from 117 school classes that were followed from grade 9 to 10. Results from longitudinal social network analysis do not confirm substantial incremental effects of specific types of peers, while class average achievement showed a stable negative effect (confirming the BFLPE). In addition, we could provide evidence for social selection effects based on ASC. We conclude that classrooms provide a specific setting that imposes social comparisons with the "generalized peer" rather than with specific subgroups of peers. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	American Psychological Association. Journals Department, 750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002. Tel: 800-374-2721; Tel: 202-336-5510; Fax: 202-336-5502; e-mail: order@apa.org; Web site: http://www.apa.org
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01