Kit-Tai Hau

Big-fish-little-pond effect on academic self-concept : a cross-cultural (26-country) test of the negative effects of academically selective schools

Academically selective schools are intended to affect academic self-concept positively, but theoretical and empirical research demonstrates that the effects are negative. The big-fish-little-pond effect (BFLPE), an application of social comparison theory to educational settings, posits that a student will have a lower academic self-concept in an academically selective school than in a nonselective school. This study, the largest cross-cultural study of the BFLPE ever undertaken, tested theoretical predictions for nationally representative samples of approximately 4,000 15-year-olds from each of 26 countries (N = 103,558) who completed the same self-concept instrument and achievement tests. Consistent with the BFLPE, the effects of school-average achievement were negative in all 26 countries (M beta = -.20, SD = .08), demonstrating the BFLPEs cross-cultural generalizability.

Assessing Goodness of Fit: Is Parsimony Always Desirable?

AbstractMany mechanistic rules of thumb for evaluating the goodness of fit of structural equation models (SEM) emphasize model parsimony; all other things being equal, a simpler, more parsimonious model with fewer estimated parameters is better than a more complex model Although this is usually good advice, in the present article a heuristic counterexample is demonstrated in which parsimony as typically operationalized in indices of fit may be undesirable. Specifically, in simplex models of longitudinal data, the failure to include correlated uniquenesses relating the same indicators administered on different occasions will typically lead to systematically inflated estimates of stability. Although simplex models with correlated uniquenesses are substantially less parsimonious and may be unacceptable according to mechanistic decision rules that penalize model complexity, it can be argued a priori that these additional parameter estimates should be included. Simulated data . are used to support this claim a...

Longitudinal multilevel models of the big-fish-little-pond effect on academic self-concept: counterbalancing contrast and reflected-glory effects in Hong Kong schools.

Longitudinal multilevel path models (7,997 students, 44 high schools, 4 years) evaluated effects of school-average achievement and perceived school status on academic self-concept in Hong Kong, which has a collectivist culture with a highly achievement-segregated high school system. Consistent with a priori predictions based on the big-fish-little-pond effect (BFLPE), higher school-average achievements led to lower academic self-concepts (contrast effect), whereas higher perceived school status had a counterbalancing positive effect on self-concept (reflected-glory, assimilation effect). The negative BFLPE is the net effect of counterbalancing influences, stronger negative contrast effects, and weaker positive assimilation effects so that controlling perceived school status led to purer--and even more negative--contrast effects. Attending a school where school-average achievement is high simultaneously resulted in a more demanding basis of comparison for ones own accomplishments (the stronger negative contrast effect) and a source of pride (the weaker positive assimilation effect).

Explaining Paradoxical Relations Between Academic Self-Concepts and Achievements: Cross-Cultural Generalizability of the Internal/External Frame of Reference Predictions Across 26 Countries.

The internal/external frame of reference (I/E) model explains a seemingly paradoxical pattern of relations between math and verbal self-concepts and corresponding measures of achievement, extends social comparison theory, and has important educational implications. In a cross-cultural study of nationally representative samples of 15-year-olds from 26 countries (total N = 55,577), I/E predictions were supported in that (a) math and verbal achievements were highly correlated, but math and verbal self-concepts were nearly uncorrelated; (b) math achievement had positive effects on math self-concept, but negative effects on verbal self-concept; and (c) verbal achievement had positive effects on verbal self-concept, but negative effects on math self-concept. Supporting the cross-cultural generalizability of predictions, multigroup structural equation models demonstrated good support for the generalizability of results across 26 countries participating in the Programme for International Student Assessment project sponsored by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Multilevel Causal Ordering of Academic Self-Concept and Achievement: Influence of Language of Instruction (English Compared With Chinese) for Hong Kong Students:

Based on a large, representative, 6-year longitudinal sample of Hong Kong students (7,802 students in 56 high schools), we examined relations among academic self-concept, academic achievement, and language of instruction (Chinese as compared with English). In support of the cross-cultural generalizability of the reciprocal effects model, prior self-concept had significant effects on subsequent achievement beyond the effects of prior achievement; and prior achievement had effects on subsequent self-concept as well. Support for the reciprocal effects model was not influenced by language of instruction, and the strength of that support did not differ in English and Chinese language high schools. Particularly in the early high school years, however, instruction in a second language (English rather than Chinese) had substantial negative effects on both academic self-concept and academic achievement.

Structure and Semantic Differential Placement of Specific Causes: Academic Causal Attributions by Chinese Students in Hong Kong

Abstract The present study explored the structure and dimensional meaning of causal attributions for actual academic performance. Chinese high school students were asked to rate the importance as well as dimensional meaning (along locus, controllability, stability, and globality dimensions) of thirteen specific causes. A principal components analysis of the importance ratings generated four factors among which three were loaded on partially overlapping dimensions and the fourth was unrelated to any dimension. Results also revealed that effort, interest in study, study skill, and ability in study shared common characteristics in that they were the most important causes and were very internal, controllable, stable, and global. The findings were discussed in terms of socio-cultural values in the Chinese culture.

Who Took the “×” out of Expectancy-Value Theory? A Psychological Mystery, a Substantive-Methodological Synergy, and a Cross-National Generalization

Expectancy-value theory (EVT) is a dominant theory of human motivation. Historically, the Expectancy × Value interaction, in which motivation is high only if both expectancy and value are high, was central to EVT. However, the Expectancy × Value interaction mysteriously disappeared from published research more than 25 years ago. Using large representative samples of 15-year-olds (N = 398,750) from 57 diverse countries, we attempted to solve this mystery by testing Expectancy × Value interactions using latent-variable models with interactions. Expectancy (science self-concept), value (enjoyment of science), and the Expectancy × Value interaction all had statistically significant positive effects on both engagement in science activities and intentions of pursuing scientific careers; these results were similar for the total sample and for nearly all of the 57 countries considered separately. This study, apparently the strongest cross-national test of EVT ever undertaken, supports the generalizability of EVT predictions—including the “lost” Expectancy × Value interaction.

Childhood obesity, gender, actual-ideal body image discrepancies, and physical self-concept in Hong Kong children: Cultural differences in the value of moderation.

Childhood obesity is increasingly prevalent in Western and non-Western societies. The authors related multiple dimensions of physical self-concept to body composition for 763 Chinese children aged 8 to 15 and compared the results with Western research. Compared with Western research, gender differences favoring boys were generally much smaller for physical self-concept and body image. Objective and subjective indexes of body fat were negatively related to many components of physical self-concept, but--in contrast to Western research--were unrelated to global self-esteem and slightly positively related to health self-concept. In support of discrepancy theory, actual-ideal discrepancies in body image were related to physical self-concept. However, consistent with the Chinese cultural value of moderation, and in contrast to Western results, being too thin relative to personal ideals was almost as detrimental as being too fat. The results reflect stronger Chinese cultural values of moderation and acceptance of obesity than in Western culture and have implications for social and educational policy in China.

Unconstrained Structural Equation Models of Latent Interactions: Contrasting Residual- and Mean-Centered Approaches

Little, Bovaird and Widaman (2006) proposed an unconstrained approach with residual centering for estimating latent interaction effects as an alternative to the mean-centered approach proposed by Marsh, Wen, and Hau (2004, 2006). Little et al. also differed from Marsh et al. in the number of indicators used to infer the latent interaction factor and how they were represented, but this issue is separate from the mean versus residual centering distinction that was their primary focus. However, their implementation of the Marsh et al. mean-centered approach failed to incorporate the mean structure that Marsh et al. argued was necessary to obtain unbiased estimates. One might suppose that their new approach would suffer this same problem, an issue not addressed by Little et al. However, we demonstrate here why the Little et al. approach obviates this requirement that heretofore was thought to be necessary for all constrained, partially constrained, and unconstrained approaches. Both the Marsh et al. and Little et al. unconstrained approaches typically result in similar results and are much easier to implement than traditional constrained approaches. They differ primarily in that the Little et al. approach is a 2-step approach involving a potentially large number of separate analyses prior to estimating the structural equation model that apparently does not require the estimation of a mean structure, whereas the Marsh et al. approach is a 1-step approach that includes a mean structure.

Text Comprehension in Chinese Children : Relative Contribution of Verbal Working Memory, Pseudoword Reading, Rapid Automatized Naming, and Onset-Rime Phonological Segmentation

The present study examined the role of verbal working memory (memory span, tongue twister), 2-character Chinese pseudoword reading, rapid automatized naming (letters, numbers), and phonological segmentation (deletion of rimes and onsets) in inferential text comprehension in Chinese in 518 Chinese children in Hong Kong in Grades 3 to 5. It was hypothesized that verbal working memory, together with a small contribution from the other constructs, would explain individual variation in the childrens text comprehension. Structural equation modeling and hierarchical multiple regression analyses generally upheld the hypotheses. Though Chinese pseudoword reading did not play an important mediating role in the effect of verbal working memory on text comprehension, verbal working memory had strong effects on pseudoword reading and text comprehension. The findings on the Chinese language support current Western literature as well as display the differential role of the constructs in Chinese reading comprehension.