This paper explores the way in which elite students from Germany and Romania understand the role of talent, effort, and structural factors in shaping educational success and failure. The image of a successful student aligns with the requirements of the selection processes, with Romanian students emphasising effort, and German students projecting…

Gender differences in reading and math have been reported for many years. Girls outperform boys in reading (representing a school domain stereotyped as female); boys often perform slightly better in math (a stereotypical male domain). Research has so far investigated the contribution of domain-specific academic self-concepts and interests as well…

We examine recent research across countries and cultures in regard to the issues related to the formation of gifted and talented education perspectives, policies, and practices. Many modern cultures and subcultures have developed formal and informal definitions of what it means to be gifted and talented, and when we compare the perceptions,…

Whereas equity issues are mainly discussed with respect to students at risk, this article focuses on mathematical potentials of under-privileged students and therefore elaborates a wide, dynamic and participatory conceptualization of (sometimes still hidden) mathematical potentials. An extended research review theoretically and empirically grounds…

The old myth about the ability and variability of potential in children is a comforting myth, for those who are uneasy with the degree of inequality they see and would rather seek to justify it than confront it. The myth of inherent potential helps some explain to themselves why they are privileged. Extend the myth to believe in inherited ability…

Online learning has gained importance in education over the last 20 years, but the well-known problem of high dropout rates still persists. According to the multi-dimensional learning tasks model, the cognitive (over)load of learners is essential to attrition when dealing with five challenges (e.g. technology, user interface) of an online training…

Assessing students' aptitude and educational performance and grading them on a hierarchical scale is a universal feature of the schooling process. In light of grades' instrumental, motivational, and symbolic saliency in students' school experience, it is not surprising they are highly "valued goods," and the process of their fair or…

Problems of differentiation and uniformity of educational provisions are products of the era of emphasis on equality of educational opportunity. Three typical national solutions are dealt with in this paper: the American comprehensive model, the Western European elitist model, and the Eastern European model of a unitary school. (Author)

The Mann-Suiter Developmental Screening Tests were administered individually to 79 German and American first grade students in their native languages. The subtests, which examined minimum skills necessary for school success, were used to develop a profile of each child's strengths and weaknesses in visual, auditory, and language areas. Children…