The Journal of the World Council for Gifted and Talented Children

Finally, a study by Zydatiß (1999) evaluated a project in Berlin, which formed separate
acceleration classes to provide students the opportunity to graduate from Gymnasium after 8
instead of 9 years by condensing the curriculum. Six schools took part in the study, which began in
1997. The students were selected on the basis of their grades from elementary school in grades 1-4
and a personal interview with the Gymnasium’s principal, a selection process that was criticized for
being too subjective. The sample comprised approximately 500 students, and students from the
participating schools’ regular classes served as a control group.
The results showed that the students in the acceleration classes achieved better grades than
their peers in the regular classes. Since grades were the basis of their selection, however, that was
to be expected. The students were very satisfied with their experience in the acceleration classes
and did not feel overly pressured. Most did not report having to give up any extracurricular activities
due to their participation. Furthermore, most of them were very satisfied with the classes’ "social
climate”. Their parents and teachers rated the project positively. The teachers reported that the
students in the acceleration classes were more demanding than the students in the regular classes
concerning opportunities to work flexibly and independently (Zydatiß, 1999, in Holling, Preckel &
Vock, 2007).
Student competitions
Finally, the effects of student competitions have been investigated in two studies, one by
Heilmann (1999) and one by Heller and Lengfelder (2004).
Heilmann investigated the prize winners of the Bundeswettbewerb Mathematik, a multistage,
nation-wide German student competition in mathematics, in the years from 1972 to 1995. In
the first and second stage, the students have to solve mathematical problems; in the third stage,
they are interviewed by two mathematicians, one from a school and one from a university setting.
The winners receive a scholarship for their subsequent university studies by the Studienstiftung des
deutschen Volkes, the prestigious German National Merit Foundation. Heilmann investigated second
and third stage winners.
Heilmann’s study showed that successful participants demonstrated a great interest in
mathematics, in which they were supported by their environment. Seventy-two percent of them
chose to study mathematics at university and generally demonstrated an excellent performance.
Many of them showed an early interest in an academic career and aspired professorships. Hardly
any differences could be shown between second and third stage winners, which is why Heilmann
suggested that second stage winners also receive scholarships by the Studienstiftung (Heilmann,
1999, in: Holling, Preckel & Vock, 2007).
Heller and Lengfelder evaluated the German participants of the International Student
Olympiads in mathematics, physics, and chemistry in the years from 1977 to 1997. Over all, 100
participants from the last stage and 135 from the next to last stage took part in the survey study. At
the time of the study, they were between 19 and 42 years old with an average age of 27years and 8
months. Six of the participants were female.
The results of Heller and Lengfelder’s survey showed that many of them came from families
with a high level of education. Most of the participants had a tendency to attribute high achievement
to talent rather than to effort, and were motivated by a hope for success, rather than a fear of failure.
When asked which factors had motivated and facilitated their participation, the two main factors
mentioned were a supportive family environment and the availability of books. The participants
received excellent grades in the Abitur, the final exam at the end of secondary school which leads to
the German university-entrance diploma, especially in their "Olympiad discipline". Over three
quarters of them belonged to the top ten students of their class.
After school, 21% of them won awards over the course of their university studies, about
30% chose a career in the academy, and 40% held a Ph.D. Compared to the regular German
university student population, a large percentage of them had spent time studying abroad. More
than a third of the participants from the next to last stage and about half of the participants from the
final stage had pursued a career in the field of the "Olympiad discipline”. The percentage who had
gotten married was significantly below the average in Germany.
Almost all of the alumni associated positive effects with their participation. They stated that it
had positively influenced their self-concept and their career expectations. Neither parents nor
teachers, who were also surveyed, reported any negative effects such as a negative reaction from
peers. However, it is important to note that 60% of those who had originally been contacted to
Gifted and Talented International – 26(1), August, 2011; and 26(2), December, 2011. 59