Contribution
Description: Although the case of children who start elementary school knowing how to read, and/or how to calculate has long been the subject of research, results have often been inconsistent or inconclusive. For example, results show that, for first-graders, there is a consistent correlation between the precocious manifestation of both of these core competencies (reading, calculation) and intellectual ability; the correlation between early reading and intellectual ability, on the other hand, is not as clear and consistent. Neither have studies been conducted on the issue of school performance. Clearly, our understanding of the phenomenon remains incomplete.This presentation will address heretofore unanswered questions about these children's academic performance over the course of the ensuing eight years and therefore focus on the subject of the transformation of their knowledge into success in school. Is their achievement consistent throughout this time? Do they remain ahead of their peers upon graduation? Are they gifted? Are children who show precocity in only one area in the same social group as children who do so in both, and do their respective academic performances differ?Considering the interest of Swiss institutions in the socio-psychological and career development of gifted students, and the recent focus on the design of programs aimed specifically at this demographic, such questions are now keenly relevant.
Methodology: The foundation of the study is a panel design. Six weeks into the Fall term of the 1995 school-year, the reading and mathematical skills of 2667 children in eight Swiss cantons and in Liechtenstein were tested with standard instruments. Children who managed to solve all mathematical problems where assigned to a group of "precocious mahematicians" (PM). Children who completed the reading tasks without mistakes were assigned to a group of "precocious readers" (PR). Children who performed flawlessly in both tests were placed in a group of "precocious readers and mathematicians" (PRM). The focus group consisted of 193 children, with another 193 children in the same class and of the same gender mix serving as the control group.So far, the children have filled out a fully standardized questionnaire five times: in 1995 (beginning of 1st grade), 1996 (middle of 1st grade), 1998 (3rd grade), 2000 (5th grade), and 2003 (8th grade). Currently, 185 children from the focus group (59 PR, 60 PM, 66 PRM) and 181 children form the control group are still part of the study.
Conclusions: · Eight years into the study, the children of the focus group are still significantly outperforming those of the control group in cognitive skills, mathematics, and German.· Even though many PM, PR, and PRM children have a high intelligence level, the study shows only partial correlation between giftedness and precocity in these competencies: only PRM who are self-motivated early-learners continue to outperform their peers throughout the first eight years of their education.· There are no significant aggregate grade-point average differences between the various groups (PM, PR and PRM).· A cluster analysis of academic performance shows distinct student profiles, but these are not dichotomous with respect to early-learning group membership:a first group shows consistently high achievement;a second group shows consistently good accomplishment;a third group exhibits monotonically decreasing performance after the third year;and a fourth group's performance starts an inexorable decline by the middle of the first year.· The 13% of children who constitute the fourth and last group are especially noteworthy: they are mostly autodidacts who achieve the highest scores in the intelligence tests but subsequently manage only passing grades in German and slightly-better grades in Math; they tend to have low self-esteem, low motivation for learning course material, difficulty working under pressure, and an inordinate fear of exams; and they claim an over-representation of members of the PRM group. Children in this group are called to be underachievers.
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