How do gifted and high achieving adolescents in separate special classes evaluate their lessons? Teaching quality in German and Mathematics in secondary education

Abstract

High-performing and gifted students are often not sufficiently challenged in class. In special classes for high-achievers and gifted students, instruction can be tailored more closely to the learning opportunities of this group. Special classes are generally considered to be conducive to achievement, but studies on the quality of instruction have been scarce. This study examines how students in special classes for the gifted and talented in the state of Brandenburg rate the quality of their instruction in German and mathematics compared to students in regular classes. The data basis is constituted by N = 3371 students in the 8th and 10th grades from 33 schools. Questionnaires were used to assess characteristics of teaching quality according to the QuAIT model; data analysis was conducted using regression-analytical multilevel models. The students of the LuBK evaluate the quality of their teaching mainly more positively than the students of the regular classes, however, deficits are evident in both class types with regard to the quality characteristics of internal differentiation and having a say in the topics of instruction.