The Relevance of the Reference Group for Students with Low Achievement: a Contrasting Juxtaposition of Comparative and Normative Peer Effects

Peers are considered as one of the major school factors of student’s educational development. However, there is an ongoing controversial debate about the type of impact of the peer group on students with low academic achievement and, in particular, the mechanisms underlying it—a controversy that is accentuated in the light of school tracking and inclusive education. The aim of this dissertation was therefore to investigate the mechanisms of such peer effects in inclusive classes before and after the assignment to different tracks at lower secondary school. After an introduction to the topic, the two contradictory theoretical approaches—comparative versus normative peer effects—are elucidated with reference to the current state of research. According to Marsh’ theoretical model of reference groups, on one hand, attending a class or school with relatively high group-average achievement has a negative effect on student’s academic self-concept over and above the effect of individual achievement. Such comparative peer group influences, well known as the big-fish-little-pond effect, are hypothesized to have a particular deleterious effect for students with low achievement in a reference group with high ability level. On the other hand, normative peer effects predict favorable academic development in high-achieving or mixed-ability learning groups. The rationale behind this approach is the assumption that students’ achievement is influenced indirectly through normative characteristics of their social learning environment, which in turn depends to a large extent on the educational tracking system. Normative factors include peers’ achievement-related goals as well as certain normative aspects of teaching practice. Furthermore, both theoretical models imply an impact on educational and occupational aspirations. Based on the theoretical considerations and previous research, four research questions and the corresponding hypotheses were examined: First, it was tested if the comparative peer effect on academic self-concept could be replicated in inclusive classes at the end of primary education. Second, it was investigated whether the compositional effect on students’ academic achievement was mediated by performance-related norms in primary classes, teacher’s frame of reference, and learner-centered instruction. The third question dealt with the two conflicting predictions for students with low achievement in connection with transition from primary to lower secondary school. Fourth, the question was explored, which of the hypothesized variables predict students’ occupational aspirations at the end of lower secondary education. To address the research questions, data of a study undertaken in the German-speaking part of Switzerland were used. The sample at the first measurement point consisted of about