Moderation of the Big-Fish-Little-Pond Effect: Juxtaposition of Evolutionary (Darwinian-Economic) and Achievement Motivation Theory Predictions Based on a Delphi Approach

Educational Psychology Review - The big-fish-little-pond effect (BFLPE), the negative effect of school-/class-average achievement on academic self-concept, is one of educational psychology’s...     

A Psychometric Evaluation of the Self-Presentational Efficacy Scale

This study examined the psychometric properties of the Self-Presentational Efficacy Scale (SPES) developed by Gammage, Hall, and Martin Ginis (2004 Gammage, K. L., Hall, C. R. and Martin Ginis, K. A. 2004. Self-presentation in exercise contexts: Differences between high and low frequency exercisers. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 34: 1638–1651. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). University students (196 men and 269 women) completed the SPES and measures of social physique anxiety, fear of negative evaluation, and physical activity. Participants also completed the SPES a second time. A series of multivariate data analyses were conducted to examine the SPES's factor structure. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated a 3-factor model, with each factor representing a distinct latent variable. Acceptable internal consistency and test–retest reliability were found. Evidence of concurrent validity with respect to sex and exercise status was demonstrated. Convergent validity was also shown, as relationships to exercise participation and self-presentational anxiety were found. Future research should assess the reliability and validity of the SPES in other samples and the relative and unique contribution of the three factors in predicting exercise-related outcomes.     

History of Broadcasting

Philip T. Rosen, The Modern Stentors: Radio Broadcasting and the Federal Government, 1920-1934 (Westport,Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1980— $25.00).

Laurence Bergreen Look Now, Pay Later: The Rise of Network Broadcasting (New York: Doubleday, 1980 with paperback reprint by Mentor Books, 1981—$14.95/ 3.95).

C. Joseph Pusateri, Enterprise in Radio: WWL and the Business of Broadcasting it America (University Press of America, 4720 Boston Way, Lanham, Md. 20801— $19.50/11.75)

Alex McNeil, Total Television: A Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to 1980 (New York: Penguin Books, $9.95, paper)     

Cohort ‘73: A Study of “Success” in and beyond a Course in Architecture

The success of a tertiary level course, and of the students in it, formed the basis for this study. The focus is a longitudinal study of the 1973 entry cohort to the architecture course at the Western Australian Institute of Technology. Alternative approaches to “success” are defined. Inherent problems in reducing life‐complexity to a limited number of variables are acknowledged. Something of the diversity of experiences and values of graduates and non‐graduates is indicated. Finally, pluralism and lack of certainty in the post‐modern world are commented upon. Reference is made to the potential for development of appropriate values, in the education process, against which each individual may gauge his or her success.