@article{ScharfBeckerStallaschetal.2020,
  author    = {Scharf, Jan and Becker, Michael and Stallasch, Sophie E. and Neumann, Marko and Maaz, Kai},
  title     = {Primary and secondary effects of social background across secondary education},
  series = {Zeitschrift f{\"u}r Erziehungswissenschaft},
  volume    = {23},
  journal   = {Zeitschrift f{\"u}r Erziehungswissenschaft},
  number    = {6},
  publisher = {Springer},
  address   = {Wiesbaden},
  issn      = {1434-663X},
  doi       = {10.1007/s11618-020-00981-7},
  pages     = {1251 -- 1282},
  year      = {2020},
  abstract  = {Secondary education is characterised by a sequence of transitions that are linked to educational inequality. Regarding social background effects, inequalities relate to disparities in educational achievement (primary effects) and educational decisions (secondary effects). In the present study, both primary and secondary effects are analysed based on an entire student cohort in the Hamburg school system (KESS study) across the course of secondary education, i.e. from entering secondary school to aiming for higher education. The KHB method is applied in order to decompose the effects, including transitions to upper secondary education. In line with previous research, total social background effects decrease across educational trajectories. No clear pattern emerges concerning an assumed increase in the relative importance of secondary effects. Primary effects operationalised by school grades are slightly predominant in the transition to lower secondary education, and nearly the same ratio is found for the transition to upper secondary education. However, regarding the aim to enter higher education, the relative importance of secondary effects is more clearly discernible.},
  language  = {de}
}
@article{BrandtBeckerTetzneretal.2018,
  author    = {Brandt, Naemi D. and Becker, Michael and Tetzner, Julia and Brunner, Martin and Kuhl, Poldi and Maaz, Kai},
  title     = {Personality across the lifespan exploring measurement invariance of a short Big Five Inventory from ages 11 to 84},
  series = {European journal of psychological assessment},
  volume    = {36},
  journal   = {European journal of psychological assessment},
  number    = {1},
  publisher = {Hogrefe},
  address   = {G{\"o}ttingen},
  issn      = {1015-5759},
  doi       = {10.1027/1015-5759/a000490},
  pages     = {162 -- 173},
  year      = {2018},
  abstract  = {Personality is a relevant predictor for important life outcomes across the entire lifespan. Although previous studies have suggested the comparability of the measurement of the Big Five personality traits across adulthood, the generalizability to childhood is largely unknown. The present study investigated the structure of the Big Five personality traits assessed with the Big Five Inventory-SOEP Version (BFI-S; SOEP = Socio-Economic Panel) across a broad age range spanning 11-84 years. We used two samples of N = 1,090 children (52\% female, M-age = 11.87) and N = 18,789 adults (53\% female, M-age = 51.09), estimating a multigroup CFA analysis across four age groups (late childhood: 11-14 years; early adulthood: 17-30 years; middle adulthood: 31-60 years; late adulthood: 61-84 years). Our results indicated the comparability of the personality trait metric in terms of general factor structure, loading patterns, and the majority of intercepts across all age groups. Therefore, the findings suggest both a reliable assessment of the Big Five personality traits with the BFI-S even in late childhood and a vastly comparable metric across age groups.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{WestphalBeckerVocketal.2016,
  author    = {Westphal, Andrea and Becker, Michael and Vock, Miriam and Maaz, Kai and Neumann, Marko and McElvany, Nele},
  title     = {The link between teacher-assigned grades and classroom socioeconomic composition: The role of classroom behavior, motivation, and teacher characteristics},
  series = {Contemporary educational psychology},
  volume    = {46},
  journal   = {Contemporary educational psychology},
  publisher = {Elsevier},
  address   = {San Diego},
  issn      = {0361-476X},
  doi       = {10.1016/j.cedpsych.2016.06.004},
  pages     = {218 -- 227},
  year      = {2016},
  abstract  = {Teacher judgments in terms of grades, proficiency assessments, and recommending placement in ability groups can have important consequences for a child's future educational path. Whether or not students' sociodemographic background characteristics are systematically related to teacher judgments has been a controversial topic of discussion. Using data from the TIMSS-Transition Study (N = 3285 fourth graders) administered across 13 German federal states in the 2006-2007 school year and survey data from parents and teachers, we investigated whether or not the average classroom socioeconomic status is reflected in teacher judgments and also examined possible underlying processes. We also probed the role of teachers' own socioeconomic backgrounds (at the age of 16) in their later susceptibility to differentially judge students from different socioeconomic backgrounds and in differentially composed classrooms. Multilevel regression analyses revealed that, after controlling for differences in achievement (as indicated by standardized tests), teachers' judgments were associated with the classrooms' socioeconomic composition, and this finding could not be attributed to the average levels of motivation or behavior in the classroom. Teachers were similarly likely to exhibit such differential judgments regardless of their own socioeconomic background. These findings are discussed in the context of their implications for educational policy.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{TetznerBecker2015,
  author    = {Tetzner, Julia and Becker, Michael},
  title     = {How Being an Optimist Makes a Difference: The Protective Role of Optimism in Adolescents' Adjustment to Parental Separation},
  series = {Social psychological and personality science},
  volume    = {6},
  journal   = {Social psychological and personality science},
  number    = {3},
  publisher = {Sage Publ.},
  address   = {Thousand Oaks},
  issn      = {1948-5506},
  doi       = {10.1177/1948550614559605},
  pages     = {325 -- 333},
  year      = {2015},
  abstract  = {This longitudinal study of N = 1,566 adolescents investigated the protective role of optimism in adjustment to parental separation, focusing on two salient challenges faced by adolescents, namely academic achievement and self-esteem. Based on latent change models, the results indicated associations between parental separation and short-term declines in academic achievement as well as short-term and longer term declines in self-esteem. Although optimism in general showed positive associations with academic achievement and self-esteem, its role as a protective factor proved to be particularly important for academic achievement in adjustment following parental separation.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{BeckerNeumannTetzneretal.2014,
  author    = {Becker, Michael and Neumann, Marko and Tetzner, Julia and B{\"o}se, Susanne and Knoppick, Henrike and Maaz, Kai and Baumert, J{\"u}rgen and Lehmann, Rainer},
  title     = {Development? Effects of the transition into academically selective schools},
  series = {The journal of educational psychology},
  volume    = {106},
  journal   = {The journal of educational psychology},
  number    = {2},
  publisher = {American Psychological Association},
  address   = {Washington},
  issn      = {0022-0663},
  doi       = {10.1037/a0035425},
  pages     = {555 -- 568},
  year      = {2014},
  abstract  = {The present study investigates school context effects on psychosocial characteristics (academic self-concept, peer relations, school satisfaction, and school anxiety) of high-achieving and gifted students. Students who did or did not make an early transition from elementary to secondary schools for high-achieving and gifted students in 5th grade in Berlin, Germany, are compared in their psychosocial development. The sample comprises 155 early-entry students who moved to an academically selective secondary school (Gymnasium) and 3,169 regular students who remained in elementary school until the end of 6th grade. Overall, a complex pattern of psychosocial development emerged for all students, with both positive and negative outcomes being observed. Specifically, the transition into academically selective learning environments seemed to come at some cost for psychosocial development. Propensity score matching analysis isolating the effects of selective school intake and the school context effect itself revealed negative contextual effects of early transition to Gymnasium on academic self-concept and school anxiety; additionally, the positive trend in peer relations observed among regular students was not discernible among early-entry students.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{DumontNeumannNagyetal.2013,
  author    = {Dumont, Hanna and Neumann, Marko and Nagy, Gabriel and Becker, Michael and Rose, Norman and Trautwein, Ulrich},
  title     = {Class composition Effects in non-academic lower secondary school tracks in the state of Baden-W{\"u}rttemberg},
  series = {Psychologie in Erziehung und Unterricht : Zeitschrift f{\"u}r Forschung und Praxis},
  volume    = {60},
  journal   = {Psychologie in Erziehung und Unterricht : Zeitschrift f{\"u}r Forschung und Praxis},
  number    = {3},
  publisher = {Reinhardt},
  address   = {M{\"u}nchen},
  issn      = {0342-183X},
  doi       = {10.2378/peu2013.art16d},
  pages     = {198 -- 213},
  year      = {2013},
  abstract  = {The study investigates the effects of classroom composition (average ability, achievement, and socio-economic background, proportion of immigrant students) on the development in mathematics achievement, and reading literacy from grade 5 to 6. The study draws on a sample of N=1892 students in vocational track schools (Hauptschule) and intermediate track schools (Realschule) in Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany. After controlling for school type, and between-school differences in student intake characteristics, none of the compositional characteristics showed a statistically significant effect on achievement development. School track was associated with the development of reading literacy even after controlling for individual differences; however, this relationship lost its statistical significance after the composition of the student body was additionally taken into account.},
  language  = {de}
}
@book{MaazBaumertNeumannetal.2013,
  author    = {Maaz, Kai and Baumert, J{\"u}rgen and Neumann, Marko and Becker, Michael and Dumont, Hanna},
  title     = {Die Berliner Schulstrukturreform : Bewertung durch die beteiligten Akteure und Konsequenzen des neuen {\"U}bergangsverfahrens von der Grundschule in die weiterf{\"u}hrenden Schulen},
  publisher = {Waxmann},
  address   = {M{\"u}nster},
  isbn      = {978-3-8309-2946-8},
  pages     = {304 S.},
  year      = {2013},
  language  = {de}
}
@article{BeckerLuedtkeTrautweinetal.2012,
  author    = {Becker, Michael and L{\"u}dtke, Oliver and Trautwein, Ulrich and K{\"o}ller, Olaf and Baumert, J{\"u}rgen},
  title     = {The differential effects of school racking on psychometric intelligence Do academic-track schools make students smarter?},
  series = {The journal of educational psychology},
  volume    = {104},
  journal   = {The journal of educational psychology},
  number    = {3},
  publisher = {American Psychological Association},
  address   = {Washington},
  issn      = {0022-0663},
  doi       = {10.1037/a0027608},
  pages     = {682 -- 699},
  year      = {2012},
  abstract  = {Prior research has shown that quantity of schooling affects the development of intelligence in childhood and adolescence. However, it is still debated whether other aspects of schooling-such as ability tracking or, more generally, school quality-can also influence intelligence. In this study, the authors analyzed intelligence gains in academic- and vocational-track schools in Germany, testing for differential effects of school quality (academic vs. vocational track) on psychometric intelligence. Longitudinal data were obtained from a sample of N = 1,038 Grade 7 and 10 students in 49 schools. A nonverbal reasoning test was used as an indicator of general psychometric intelligence, and relevant psychological and social background variables were included in the analyses. Propensity score matching was used to control for selection bias. Results showed a positive effect of attending the academic track.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{RetelsdorfBeckerKoelleretal.2012,
  author    = {Retelsdorf, Jan and Becker, Michael and K{\"o}ller, Olaf and M{\"o}ller, Jens},
  title     = {Reading development in a tracked school system: A longitudinal study over 3 years using propensity score matching},
  series = {British journal of educational psychology},
  volume    = {82},
  journal   = {British journal of educational psychology},
  number    = {4},
  publisher = {Wiley-Blackwell},
  address   = {Hoboken},
  issn      = {0007-0998},
  doi       = {10.1111/j.2044-8279.2011.02051.x},
  pages     = {647 -- 671},
  year      = {2012},
  abstract  = {Background. Assigning students to different school tracks on the basis of their achievement levels is a widely used strategy that aims at giving students the best possible learning opportunity. There is, however, a growing body of literature that questions such positive effects of tracking. Aims. This study compared the developmental trajectories of reading comprehension and decoding speed between students at academic track schools that typically prepare students for university entrance and students at non-academic track schools that usually prepare students for vocational education. Sample. In a longitudinal design with three occasions of data collection, the authors drew on a sample of N= 1,508 5th graders (age at T1 about 11 years, age at T3 about 14 years) from 60 schools in Germany. The academic track sample comprised n= 568 students; the non-academic track sample comprised n= 940 students. Method. Achievement measures were obtained by standardized tests of reading comprehension and decoding speed. Students at the different tracks were closely matched using propensity scores. To compare students growth trajectories between the different school tracks, we applied multi-group latent growth curve models. Results. Comparable results were recorded for the complete (unmatched) sample and for the matched pairs. In all cases, students at the different tracks displayed a similar growth in reading comprehension, whereas larger growth rates for students at academic track schools were recorded for decoding speed. Conclusions. Our findings contribute to an increasing body of literature suggesting that tracking might have undesired side effects.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{JonkmannBeckerMarshetal.2012,
  author    = {Jonkmann, Kathrin and Becker, Michael and Marsh, Herbert W. and L{\"u}dtke, Oliver and Trautwein, Ulrich},
  title     = {Personality traits moderate the Big-Fish-Little-Pond Effect of academic self-concept},
  series = {Learning and individual differences},
  volume    = {22},
  journal   = {Learning and individual differences},
  number    = {6},
  publisher = {Elsevier},
  address   = {Amsterdam},
  issn      = {1041-6080},
  doi       = {10.1016/j.lindif.2012.07.020},
  pages     = {736 -- 746},
  year      = {2012},
  abstract  = {Equally able students have lower academic self-concepts in high-achieving classrooms than in low-achieving classrooms. This highly general and robust frame of reference effect is widely known as the Big-Fish-Little-Pond Effect (BFLPE; Marsh, 1987). This study contributes to research aiming to identify moderators of the BFLPE by investigating the effects of students' personality (i.e. Big Five traits and narcissism). Multilevel structural equation modeling was used to test the moderator hypotheses, drawing on data from a large sample of N= 4973 upper secondary track students (M age = 19.57). Consistent with a priori predictions, the negative effect of school-average achievement (the BFLPE) interacted significantly with narcissism. Students high in narcissism experienced smaller BFLPEs than did students with low or average levels of narcissism. The statistically significant effect for neuroticism acted in the opposite direction. The study illustrates how personality moderates frame of reference effects that are central to self-concept formation.},
  language  = {en}
}