Measuring Comparison Effects: A Critical View on the Internal/External Frame of Reference Model

The internal/external frame of reference (I/E) model describes the formation of students’ math and verbal self‐concepts by the joint effects of social comparisons (where students compare their subject‐specific achievements with those of their classmates) and dimensional comparisons (where students c...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inEducational measurement, issues and practice Vol. 40; no. 2; pp. 89 - 95
Main Author Wolff, Fabian
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Washington Wiley 01.06.2021
Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
Subjects
Academic achievement
academic self‐concept
Concept Formation
dIff/E model
dimensional comparisons
Educational psychology
Educational tests & measurements
I/E model
Mathematics Achievement
Peer Relationship
Researchers
Self Concept
Self esteem
Social Cognition
social comparisons
Validity
Verbal Ability
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Summary:The internal/external frame of reference (I/E) model describes the formation of students’ math and verbal self‐concepts by the joint effects of social comparisons (where students compare their subject‐specific achievements with those of their classmates) and dimensional comparisons (where students compare their math and verbal achievements with each other). To date, researchers have examined this model in dozens of studies. However, these studies have overestimated the effects of social comparisons because they did not recognize that the social comparison effects in the I/E model also result from dimensional comparisons. This article aims to explain this misunderstanding by developing the difference I/E (dIff/E) model, which represents the joint effects of social and dimensional comparisons more adequately than the classic I/E model. Specific findings of prior I/E model studies are discussed, which require a reinterpretation or only become plausible in light of this research's insights (e.g., where researchers compared the social comparison effects in the I/E model between groups). Moreover, empirical data are analyzed to provide support for the validity of the dIff/E model. As a key conclusion, researchers should understand that the social comparison effects in the I/E model do not only represent effects of social comparisons.
ISSN:0731-1745
1745-3992
DOI:10.1111/emip.12414