A STUDENTS DILEMMA - BIG FISH LITTLE POND OR LITTLE FISH BIG POND

Relative deprivation theory postulates that attending a highly selective college adversely affects motivation for graduate study because Ss usually obtain relatively poorer grades than they would have at a less selective college, the poorer grades leading to a relatively low self-evaluation of their intellectual capability for graduate study. Alternatively, environmental press theory posits that motivation for graduate study is increased by attending a highly selective college because the environmental press favors advanced study. A logical model for testing the contrasting predictions of the 2 theories and some preliminary evidence favoring relative deprivation theory are presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved). © 1969 American Psychological Association.