The Journal of the World Council for Gifted and Talented Children

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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
The World Council for Gifted and Talented Children participate in the study did not return the questionnaire sent to them, which may have biased the results (Heller & Lengfelder, in: Holling, Preckel & Vock, 2007). Overall, a high number of studies have evaluated gifted education programs in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland with positive results. However, many of them seem to concentrate greatly on a program’s effects on a child’s mental well-being, and almost neglect to explore its effects on the performance of the adult who participated in the program as a child concerning the skills that the program was supposed to develop. This may be attributed to the negative association with giftedness and the resulting resistance against gifted education that has long dominated the education policies in those countries. As a result of the prejudices against gifted education, its advocates first had to prove to the public that gifted education programs would not have any negative effects on a child. It is important to make clear that gifted education is about responding to a child’s individual educational needs, and that it will not harm the child if implemented correctly. However, it is also important to investigate to what degree a gifted education program has an actual effect on a child’s further performance and development, an aspect that seems almost lost in some evaluation studies of gifted education programs. Furthermore, not many of these studies are longitudinal and not many of them employ control groups of children that have been identified as gifted but who have not gone through a gifted education program. This is also due to the nature of the gifted education system in Germanspeaking countries, in which there is no systematic screening process that every child goes through. Children are only screened with the goal of administering a gifted education program for them. Therefore, there are not many children who have been identified as gifted, but who have not gone through a gifted education program. In summary, several gifted education programs in German-speaking countries have been scientifically evaluated, including grade skipping, part-time early attendance of university, summer academies, enrichment courses, special curricula or classes for gifted students only, and student competitions. Studies have yielded the following results: concerning grade skipping, most students who have skipped a grade as well as their parents and teachers rate their experience positively. As far as part-time early attendance of university goes, the majority of students who have attended university early enjoyed and succeeded in their studies, especially when supported by their environment. Summer academies are a particularly popular program. Participants generally attribute very positive effects to their participation, both concerning their intellectual and emotional/social development. Enrichment courses, while not as intense, were also judged favorably by the participants. Special curricula or classes for gifted students also seem to be a well-liked and effective gifted education provision. Finally, student competitions seem like a very motivating opportunity for gifted students to explore their talents. Overall, a high number of studies have yielded positive results. However, there is still too much focus on a program’s effects on a child’s mental well-being instead of on a program’s effects on the performance of the adult who participated in it as a child. Furthermore, more longitudinal studies with adequate control groups are needed. References Bähr, K. (1998). Überspringen einer Klasse im Kanton Zürich: Ergebnisse einer Untersuchung der Jahre 1995– 1997. Zürich: Erziehungsdirektion des Kantons Zürich, Pädagogische Abteilung Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Unterricht und Kultus (2009). Broschüre "Hochbegabtenklassen an bayerischen Gymnasien". Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Unterricht und Kultus: München. Beat Spitzer (2000). Rahmenkonzept. Besondere Begabung - Hochbegabung: Ein differenzierter Umgang mit Heterogenität. Bildungsplanung Zentralschweiz: Luzern. Bildung und Begabung e.V. (2010). Bundeswettbewerb Mathematik. Retrieved from: http://www.bundeswettbewerb-mathematik.de/ wettbewerb/bwm.htm BMBF (2009). Begabte Kinder finden und fördern. Ein Ratgeber für Eltern, Erzieherinnen und Erzieher, Lehrerinnen und Lehrer. Bertelsmann Verlag: Bielefeld. Bundesministerium für Unterricht, Kunst und Kultur (BMUKK) (2006). Begabtenförderung und Begabungsforschung in Österreich. Bilanz und Perspektive 1996 - 2006. Bundesministerium für Unterricht, Kunst und Kultur (BMUKK): Wien. Bundesministerium für Unterricht, Kunst und Kultur (BMUKK) (2009). Rundschreiben Nr.: 16/2009. Grundsatzerlass zur Begabtenförderung. Bundesministerium für Unterricht, Kunst und Kultur (BMUKK): Wien. Bundesministerium für Unterricht, Kunst und Kultur (BMUKK) (2008). The Austrian School System. Retrieved from: 60 Gifted and Talented International – 26(1), August, 2011; and 26(2), December, 2011.
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Book Reviews The World Council for
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The Journal of the World Council for Gifted and Talented Children

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