@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{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} }