Clarifying the Role of Implicit Theories of Intelligence in the Big-Fish-Little-Pond Effect in Gifted Youth

• In Event: 54.081 - Poster Session 11
  In Poster Session: 54.081-9 - Motivational and Affective Issues With Gifted and Talented Students

Abstract

Research has demonstrated that students placed in highly-selective programs tended to have lower academic self-concepts than their peers with similar ability levels in less selective programs or schools, which is known as the “big-fish-little-pond-effect” (BFLPE; Marsh, 1987). In the current study, researchers aimed to clarify the role of implicit theories of intelligence play in the BFLPE. The proposed research question was tested with a sample of 429 gifted college students enrolled in highly competitive college programs in China. The results indicated that even though gifted youth who hold an incrementalist view of intelligence tended to experience larger BFLPE, they still have a higher level of academic self-concept when comparing to their peers who hold a fixed view of intelligence.

Authors

• Yehan Zhou, University at Albany - SUNY

• David Yun Dai, University at Albany - SUNY

• Shu Gao, Fudan University