Academic achievement and emotions in mathematics: A longitudinal multilevel analysis perspective

The current longitudinal study (consisting of 78 fifth and sixth grade math classes; N = 1762 students) investigates the relationship between domain-specific achievement and emotional experiences. Using a mediation model (adapted from Pekrun, Goetz, Titz & Perry, 2002), the effects of individual achievement and average class achievement on individual emotional experiences were explored. These effects were analyzed simultaneously using multilevel analysis. As hypothesized, high individual achievement in the fifth grade led to an increase in the enjoyment of math-related activities and a decrease in math-related anxiety in the sixth grade, whereas high average class achievement in the fifth grade resulted in opposite individual effects. The effects we found are similar to the <<big-fish-little-pond effect>> (BFLPE; Marsh, 1987), which has received empirical support in the context of self-concept research. Implications of this study for future research and for classroom practice are discussed.