Testing the Information Distortion Model for Turkish Students’ Self-Concept and Interest in Science

The information distortion model (IDM) explains the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and students’ interest or self-concept by considering achievement. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the IDM of Turkish middle school students’ academic interest and self-concept in science by considering the big-fish-little-pond effect (BFLPE). Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2019 data and multilevel modeling analyses were used to achieve the aims of the current study. Three models were tested for each construct (self-concept and academic interest). The first model used a random comparison; in the second model, a comparison was made by considering the achievement of the students and in the third model, a comparison was made by considering school achievement. The findings of the students’ academic interest in science confirmed the IDM for model 2 and 3; on the other hand, surprisingly, regarding self-concept, only model 1 confirmed the IDM. Furthermore, the BFLPE was noticed in both self-concept and academic interest in science.