The internal/external frame of reference (I/E) model: Extension to five school subjects and invariance across German secondary school ability tracks

The internal/external frame of reference (I/E) model assumes the interplay of social and dimensional comparisons in the formation of domain-specific academic self-concepts. The present study tests the generalizability of the I/E model assumptions across students from different ability tracks. While the findings from previous studies implied the similar use of social comparisons with students from different ability tracks, evidence has been missing so far whether students from different ability tracks apply dimensional comparisons to the same extent. Students from lower ability tracks are said to be confronted with negative stereotypes and felt deprivation which might enforce or weaken the use of dimensional comparisons. For the analyses, students from the academic track (N = 702) and the vocational track (N = 528) of German secondary schools were included as these two groups represent two extreme groups of ability tracks which might thus maximize the power of detecting differences in the use of social and dimensional comparisons. Both the original I/E model only including math and verbal achievement and self-concepts measures and an I/E model extended to five school subjects (math, German, English, physics, and biology) were examined. The results indicated invariance across school tracks for both the original I/E model and the extended I/E model when controlling for students' gender, socioeconomic status, and cognitive ability.