Abstract:
Longitudinal data from large cohorts of 7th grade (n=2,778) of East and West German students were collected at the start of the reunification of the school systems to evaluate how this remarkable social experiment effects self-concept formation. Multilevel modeling demonstrated the big fish little pond effect (BFLPE); attending classes where class-average math achievement was higher led to lower math self-concepts. West German students attended schools that were highly stratified in relation to ability before and after the reunification, whereas East German students first attended selective schools after the reunification. Consistent with theoretical predictions based on this difference, the BFLPE - the negative effect of class-average achievement - was more negative in West German schools at the start of the reunification, but this difference was smaller by the middle of the year and had disappeared by the end of the first post-reunification school year. Whereas East and West German results both support the BFLPE, their differences supported theoretical predictions and demonstrated how changes in school policy influences the formation of academic self-concept.