Examining the relationship between student academic achievement and self-concept in the I/E, BFLPE, and combined models - Evidence from East Asian countries’ data in TIMSS 2007

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between student achievement and self-concept of science/mathematics by using a combined model consisting of the internal/external frame of reference (I/E) and the big-fish-little-pond effect (BFLPE) models in three high-performing East Asian countries. The samples were from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2007 eighth-grade and fourth-grade student data in Taiwan, Japan, and Hong Kong. Multilevel structural equation modeling (MSEM) was used to analyze whether the data fit the combined models, and to examine the relationship between student self-concept and achievement at different levels. The results suggest that the combined model fitted the data well, and most of the predictions of the combined model were supported by the data from these three countries. Furthermore, the results also show that the effects of the BFLPE and the I/E were generally larger in grade 8. Finally, implications of the findings and suggestions for future research are discussed.