Abstract: The Big-Fish-Little-Pond Effect (BFLPE) refers to the phenomenon that students in higher-level classes or schools tend to have lower academic self-concepts, compared to their peers with the same academic level but attending lower-level classes or schools. This is analogous to the saying that better to be the head of a dog than the tail of a lion. The present study analyzed the literature on BFLPE and summarized findings in this domain, which provided valuable implications for the problem of grouping ability and school choosing in the education practice in China. This study also offered directions for future research, including strengthening statistical methods, the cultural difference in BFLPE, its specification of contexts and age, as well as its external validity, et al.

Key words: big-fish-little-pond effect, academic achievement, academic self-concept