The Big-Fish-Little-Pond Effect: The Pygmalion in the Classroom

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Recommended: Conflicts of the symbolic interactionist sociology

There are many factors throughout the field of educational social psychology that attempt to explain why similar students perform differently within the classroom. The phenomenon known as the big-fish-little-pond effect (BFLPE) is one such example. James Davis first coined BFLPE in the field of psychology in 1966. Davis concluded from his study of male college students, that those high-achieving students that attended a college of a lower caliber tended to perform better and have a better outlook on their future careers. This indicates that it is better to be a big fish in a little pond, than a little fish in a big pond. This phenomenon has been studied extensively and has taken into consideration both high and low socioeconomic statuses (SES). The BFLPE phenomenon can also be attributed to three of the paradigms of sociology that applied to education: functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interactionism. The question remains, how and why are students affected by BFLPE and is there anything that can be changed within the education system to maximize the positive effects of BFLPE?
The BFLPE phenomenon addresses the notion of self-concept within school settings. The idea of self-concept is best explained through the self-categorization theory developed by John Turner and his colleagues. Self-categorization theory helps to explain how the self is identified through the association with a group. This means that the conceptual idea of the self is correlated to how one relates with a larger group. Concerning the BFLPE phenomenon, a high achieving student that attends a less prestigious institution will likely develop a notion of self-concept that places them in a high standing position, relative to their peers. Inversely, a high...

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...ant to encourage and expect high performance from their children, but to be understanding of relative caliber of institutions. Perhaps schools should consider deviating from the path of the previous century and encourage a more heterogeneous sampling of students, rather than tracking them based on ability. In the end, deciding if it is better to be a big fish in a little pond or a little fish in a big pond depends on the age and developmental level of the individual. Unfortunately, for this phenomenon to continue to occur, the school system will need to remain stratified. As with many questions in the field of social psychology, more research is necessary to better understand the factors that play into success as a student. Until then, the BFLPE phenomenon is merely another factor to take into account when attempting to understand student development in education.

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