Franzis Preckel

Gender Differences in Gifted and Average-Ability Students Comparing Girls' and Boys' Achievement, Self-Concept, Interest, and Motivation in Mathematics

This article investigates gender differences in 181 gifted and 181 average-ability sixth graders in achievement, academic self-concept, interest, and motivation in mathematics. Giftedness was conceptualized as nonverbal reasoning ability and defined by a rank of at least 95% on a nonverbal reasoning subscale of the German Cognitive Abilities Test. Mathematical achievement was measured by teacher-assigned grades and a standardized mathematics test. Self-concept, interest, and motivation were assessed by questionnaire. In both ability groups, boys earned significantly higher test scores but there were no gender differences in grades. Girls scored lower on measures of academic self-concept, interest, and motivation. Gender differences were larger in gifted than in average-ability students. Ability group differences for self-concept and interest were only found for boys in favor of the gifted. Results support the assumption that gender differences in self-concept, interest, and motivation in mathematics are more prevalent in gifted than in average-ability students.

Big fish in big ponds: a multilevel analysis of test anxiety and achievement in special gifted classes.

Abstract This study analyzes the effects of individual achievement and achievement level of student reference group on test anxiety in a national sample of 769 gifted Israeli students (grade levels 4–9), which was previously investigated by Zeidner and Schleyer (1999a). We hypothesized that when controlling for individual achievement, students’ experiences of test anxiety should increase with the increasing ability level of their peer reference group. It was assumed that this effect was largely mediated by reference group effects on academic self-concept (big-fish-little-pond effect). Zeidner and Schleyer found that gifted students within a gifted peer reference group showed higher levels of test anxiety than gifted students within a non-gifted peer reference group. Of note, the present study focused exclusively on gifted students attending special gifted classes. The main research question was whether or not the assumed effects of individual and class achievement can be found for gifted students in special gifted classes when taking the variance of achievement level (grades) of the special gifted classes into account. Using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) methodology, the assumed effects were vindicated for this special group of high ability students. Thus, in line with previous results, the Worry component of test anxiety was more highly reactive to the effects of individual achievement than the Emotionality component. Also, in line with our theoretical assumptions, achievement/anxiety relations were largely mediated by the effects of academic self-concept.

Online- versus paper-pencil-version of a high potential intelligence test

Up to now there are hardly any studies available that examine the feasibility of online ability assessment. In the present study, a figural matrices test for the assessment of intellectual giftedness was applied as an online- and as a paper and pencil-version. The data was analyzed by classical test theory and by modern item response theory. Item design was based on a rule taxonomy and assessed by multiple regression analyses. Due to the reduction in experimental control in online data collection, the comparison of both data sets was limited to the aspects of qualitative equivalence. It could be shown that reliable and valid data can be collected online and that both test versions are comparable with regard to the contribution of the features of item design to task difficulty.

Grouping the Gifted and Talented: Are Gifted Girls Most Likely to Suffer the Consequences?

This study analyzes the effects of ability grouping on self-concept measures in a sample of 211 German students in their 1st year at the top track of secondary school (grade level 5; mean age: 10.46 years). 156 students, 55% of whom were female, attended regular classes, while 46 students, of whom 33% were female, attended special classes for the gifted. Students in both groups were assessed repeatedly, 3 times via self-report questionnaires and once by applying a standardized IQ test. In line with our hypotheses, we found that the students in the gifted classes reported a comparable decrease in general academic self-concept, math academic self-concept, and German academic self-concept over time. Decreases were largest early in the academic year. There was no decrease in social self-concept but instead an increase for the students in the gifted group. However, this increase did not persist, so that by the time of the last measurement the gifted reported lower social self-concept than the nongifted. Also in line with our expectations, the decrease in academic self-concept was largest for girls attending special gifted classes. It is worth noting that the largest decrease in academic self-concept of gifted girls occurred before students received any teacher-assigned school grades. As one possible explanation for this finding, the minority status of girls in gifted classes is discussed.

Variables associated with achievement in higher education: A systematic review of meta-analyses.

The last 2 decades witnessed a surge in empirical studies on the variables associated with achievement in higher education. A number of meta-analyses synthesized these findings. In our systematic literature review, we included 38 meta-analyses investigating 105 correlates of achievement, based on 3,330 effect sizes from almost 2 million students. We provide a list of the 105 variables, ordered by the effect size, and summary statistics for central research topics. The results highlight the close relation between social interaction in courses and achievement. Achievement is also strongly associated with the stimulation of meaningful learning by presenting information in a clear way, relating it to the students, and using conceptually demanding learning tasks. Instruction and communication technology has comparably weak effect sizes, which did not increase over time. Strong moderator effects are found for almost all instructional methods, indicating that how a method is implemented in detail strongly affects achievement. Teachers with high-achieving students invest time and effort in designing the microstructure of their courses, establish clear learning goals, and employ feedback practices. This emphasizes the importance of teacher training in higher education. Students with high achievement are characterized by high self-efficacy, high prior achievement and intelligence, conscientiousness, and the goal-directed use of learning strategies. Barring the paucity of controlled experiments and the lack of meta-analyses on recent educational innovations, the variables associated with achievement in higher education are generally well investigated and well understood. By using these findings, teachers, university administrators, and policymakers can increase the effectivity of higher education.

A multivariate, multilevel analysis of the relationship between cognitive abilities and scholastic achievement

Abstract. This study investigates the relationship between scholastic achievement (teacher-assigned grades) and cognitive abilities while explicitly modeling the multilevel structure of a large data set from an educational context. A multivariate analysis of composite scores in three subject domains (math and natural sciences, languages, and social sciences) was conducted using as predictors reasoning capacity, creativity, memory, and speed as well as student gender and type of school attended. The results showed meaningful differences in the relationships between the different abilities and school grades, and also significant contributions from student gender and school type. Specifically, reasoning capacity had the largest impact on achievement in math and natural sciences, whereas creativity explained more variability in performance for social sciences. Furthermore, girls outperformed boys. There was significant random variation in the intercepts at the between-classroom level, indicating that students...

Gifted and Maladjusted? Implicit Attitudes and Automatic Associations Related to Gifted Children

The disharmony hypothesis (DH) states that high intelligence comes at a cost to the gifted, resulting in adjustment problems. We investigated whether there is a gifted stereotype that falls in line with the DH and affects attitudes toward gifted students. Preservice teachers (N = 182) worked on single-target association tests and affective priming tasks. High intelligence was more strongly associated with gifted than with average-ability students. Adjustment problems were more strongly associated with gifted than with average-ability students for males only. Attitudes toward gifted students were neutral when no component of the DH was activated but were negative toward gifted males when adjustment difficulties were activated. Implicit associations and attitudes were in line with the DH—but only for male students.

Teachers' Conceptions of Gifted and Average-Ability Students on Achievement-Relevant Dimensions.

Stereotyping of gifted students may not only hinder identification and actualization of potential but also personality development (“stigma of giftedness”). This is obvious in the case of negative stereotyping (e.g., the disharmony hypothesis, which sees gifted students as intellectually strong, but emotionally and socially inferior), but even overly positive stereotypes (e.g., the harmony hypothesis, which sees gifted students as superior in all respects) may prove harmful in that they put gifted students under pressure. In this study, we examined whether teachers’ conceptions of the gifted are in line with either of these stereotypes. In a between-subjects design using vignettes, 246 German teachers rated fictitious students varying in ability level (gifted/average), gender (girl/boy), and age (8/15 years) on intellectual ability, motivation, prosociality, and maladjustment. Strong measurement invariance across vignette types was demonstrated for all dimensions. A repeated-measures analysis of variance of latent factor scores of the four dimensions showed that teachers considered gifted students more able, but less prosocial and more maladjusted than average-ability students. Whereas higher intellectual ability is in line with empirical findings about the gifted, lower social ability and higher maladjustment are not. Implications for theory, research, and educational practice are discussed.

How distinctive are morningness and eveningness from the Big Five factors of personality? A meta-analytic investigation.

This study explores relations between measures of individuals’ circadian preferences and the Big Five. To this end, we compared a model of circadian preferences that acknowledges morningness (M) and eveningness (E) as separate dimensions to that of a model that places M and E on a single continuum (M-E). Analyses of 620 correlations from 44 independent samples (N = 16,647) revealed weak to modest relations between both dimensions of circadian preferences and the Big Five personality traits. The strongest observed relation was found between Conscientiousness and M (&rgr; = .37). In the next step, regression analyses revealed that personality traits accounted for between 10.9% and 16.4% of the variance in circadian preferences. Of all the Big Five dimensions, Conscientiousness exhibited the strongest unique relation with M (&bgr; = .32), E (&bgr; = −.26), and M-E (&bgr; = .32). Extraversion and Openness exhibited moderate unique relations with E (&bgr; = .23 and &bgr; = .17, respectively), whereas relations with M (&bgr; = .00 and &bgr; = .04), and M-E (&bgr; = −.05 and &bgr; = −.06) were relatively weak. Neuroticism exhibited a modest unique and negative relation with M (&bgr; = −.16), and Agreeableness was largely unrelated to all circadian preference variables. To determine whether these findings translated into anything of applied significance, we explored relations between circadian preference and academic performance. M and E incremented slightly over the Big Five factors in predicting grade-point average. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Psychosocial Skills and School Systems in the 21st Century

This book provides a comprehensive overview and in-depth analysis of research on psychosocial skills, examining both theory and areas of application. It discusses students’ psychosocial skills both as components of academic success and desired educational outcomes in grades K through 12. The book describes an organizing framework for psychosocial skills and examines a range of specific constructs that includes achievement, motivation, self-efficacy, creativity, emotional intelligence, resilience, and the need for cognition. In addition, it reviews specific school-based interventions and examines issues that concern the malleability of psychosocial skills. It addresses issues relating to the integration of psychosocial skills into school curriculum as well as large-scale assessment policies.