This follow-up study surveyed earlier winners of the St. Petersburg (Russia) mathematical Olympiad in 1991 (n=58) and 2001 (n=30). Findings are detailed concerning respondents' academic degrees, employment, publications, schools attended, and perceived quality of mathematical education. Respondents' views about education were conservative and…

A program in Singapore tested 2,361 seventh graders using the Scholastic Assessment Test--Mathematics (SAT-M) to identify exceptional mathematical ability. Interviews with the 7 students scoring above 700 explored their family background, educational level of parents, interests, and career aspirations. Comparisons with U.S. and Chinese students…

A study examined gender differences for 5,544 gifted students (grades 4-5). On an off-level achievement test, males outperformed females in mathematics beginning in grade 3. Both groups had a preference for mathematics over other subjects. Students' perceptions of academic strengths corresponded to their performance on the off-level test.…

Although recent educational reforms have called for different types of assessments with more relaxed time requirements, the revised Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) allows less than one minute per verbal and math problem. According to an SAT tutor who took the new exam along with his students, the new test is unnecessarily tricky and should…

This study examined above-grade-level abstract reasoning abilities of 150 students (grades 2-6). Understanding of abstract concepts varied by age for only four of eight subscales or concepts: probability, proportion, momentum, and frames of reference. Performance varied widely within age level for the understanding of volume, correlation,…

Presents the President's address from the 1999 annual meeting of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). Asserts that the mathematics classroom teacher must create an environment that supports students and mathematics growth at many different levels, and suggests ways in which to achieve this. Considers the changing societal…

Gifted and non-gifted high school students in China (N=495) were administered the Verbal, Math, School, and General self-concept scales of the Self-Description Questionnaire. Verbal and Math self-concepts were positively correlated with Academic (School) self-concept and with General self-concept. Talented students differentiated Verbal and Math…

Discussion of the development of mathematical talent in students identifies seven distinct levels of talent and suggests that Srinivasa Ramanujan, the Indian mathematician considered to be self-taught, actually received good schooling and studied a comprehensive advanced mathematical text. This suggests that good instruction is as necessary for…

First examines issues in the identification of mathematically gifted children in the context of V. A. Krutetskii's categories of mathematical ability developed in his 1976 work, "The Psychology of Mathematical Abilities in Schoolchildren." A case study model is then offered which involves continuous and interactive identification and…

Examined effect of maternal support on the development of counting and cardinality in young children at 32, 38, and 44 months of age. At the two earlier times, children were more successful at counting than determining cardinal relationships in both supported and unsupported contexts. Findings suggest that both social and cognitive biases contain…

This article describes the special residential "key" high schools for mathematically talented students in China. It explains the admissions process, the general curriculum, and the mathematics curriculum specifically. (Contains references.) (DB)

This article explores how differences in problem representations change both the performance and underlying cognitive processes of beginning algebra students engaged in quantitative reasoning. Contrary to beliefs held by practitioners and researchers in mathematics education, students were more successful solving simple algebra story problems than…

There has been a long held perception that the field of mathematics is more appropriate for males than for females. The construct, mathematics as a male domain, has been considered a critical variable in explanations for females' under-representation in the most demanding mathematics subjects offered at school and higher education, and in related…

Compared performance of kindergartners exposed to mathematics content at storybook time and given story-related mathematics play materials to performance of a control group. Found that the experimental group showed a greater preference and aptitude for mathematics activities than the control group. (EV)

Reviews literature on mathematics achievement trends and discusses relevant population trends. Examines the literature on mathematics achievement by demographic group-race, class, gender, and language proficiency. Also highlights important findings including the improvement of all demographic groups in basic mathematics skills over the last 15…