Open research questions in Education, Achievement, and Giftedness

What the literature leaves open

• The study identifies the challenge of designing problems that require original thinking to spark high-MPSs' interest. Another challenge is the need to consider problem characteristics in the present study. The study also acknowledges the challenge of incorporating real-world contexts to maintain high-MPSs' interest.

  Does problem connection to reality shape interest, performance and their interplay? A comparative analysis involving students with high and average mathematical potential · 2026 · DOI

• Integrative research combining cognitive and motivational perspectives remains scarce. Few studies examine how problem type and student profile jointly influence interest and performance

  Does problem connection to reality shape interest, performance and their interplay? A comparative analysis involving students with high and average mathematical potential · 2026 · DOI

• Research on interest, self-efficacy, and belonging is largely siloed. There is a need for studies that consider the interrelation between these variables. Prior work has not fully explored the relationship between interest, self-efficacy, and belonging in classroom learning.

  Interest, Self-efficacy, and Belonging in Classroom Learning · 2026 · DOI

• Investigating the effectiveness of the COMPASS intervention in other subjects, - Examining the correlations between the changes in the academic self-concepts and comparison-related beliefs following the intervention, - Conducting more longitudinal studies about math self-concept interventions

  Long-Term Effects of an Intervention Targeting Dimensional and Temporal Comparisons on Students’ Math and English Academic Self-Concepts: A Waiting-List Replication and Extension Study · 2026 · DOI

• The need for more longitudinal studies on math self-concept interventions. The lack of understanding of the psychological mechanisms behind interventions aiming to improve students' math or English self-concept and their comparison-related beliefs.

  Long-Term Effects of an Intervention Targeting Dimensional and Temporal Comparisons on Students’ Math and English Academic Self-Concepts: A Waiting-List Replication and Extension Study · 2026 · DOI

• The study identifies technical challenges in modeling the BFLPE, including the need to control for individual achievement and to adjust for nonlinearity. The study also identifies domain challenges, including the need to understand the relationship between academic self-concept and achievement. The study addresses these challenges by using a large-scale cross-national dataset and a unified modeling framework.

  Four Decades After the Big-Fish–Little-Pond Effect: Critical Boundary Tests and Integrative Models of Mean-Context, Ordinal-Standing, and Distributional-Scaling in 46 Countries · 2026 · DOI

• Investigate the potential mechanisms underlying the BFLPE, - Examine the generalizability of the findings to other subjects and age groups, - Explore the potential implications of the BFLPE for educational practice and policy

  Four Decades After the Big-Fish–Little-Pond Effect: Critical Boundary Tests and Integrative Models of Mean-Context, Ordinal-Standing, and Distributional-Scaling in 46 Countries · 2026 · DOI

• further studies can examine the relationship between growth mindset and mathematics engagement in different contexts, - future research can investigate the impact of growth mindset on other subjects besides mathematics, - studies can explore the role of other variables in mediating the relationship between growth mindset and engagement

  The Impact of Growth Mindset on Behaviour, Emotional, and Cognitive Engagement: The Serial Mediation Role of Achievement Emotions and Self-Efficacy · 2026 · DOI

• The existing literature lacks studies on the mediating role of achievement emotions between growth mindset and mathematics engagement. There is a need to clarify the concept and structure of engagement and explore the mechanisms through which growth mindset impacts engagement.

  The Impact of Growth Mindset on Behaviour, Emotional, and Cognitive Engagement: The Serial Mediation Role of Achievement Emotions and Self-Efficacy · 2026 · DOI

• The lack of a valid and reliable tool to assess teachers' differentiated instructional behaviors in STEM education for gifted students. Insufficient support for gifted students in STEM education, creating a talent gap. The need for a systematic framework for differentiation in STEM education for gifted students.

  Development of Differentiated Teaching Behavior Scale in STEM Education for Gifted Students: An Assessment Tool Development Study · 2026 · DOI

• The study only involved eighth-grade students from five public middle schools, - The study used a one-stage cluster sampling design, - The investigation process was limited to 90 min

  State-Trait Duality of Self-Efficacy in Mathematical Problem-Posing and Solving: Insights from Chinese Eighth Graders · 2026 · DOI

• The gap is the lack of understanding of the state-trait duality of self-efficacy in mathematical problem-posing and solving. Prior research has focused on the relationship between self-efficacy and mathematical abilities, but not specifically on problem-posing and solving.

  State-Trait Duality of Self-Efficacy in Mathematical Problem-Posing and Solving: Insights from Chinese Eighth Graders · 2026 · DOI

• Investigating the neural mechanisms underlying emotion-cognition interaction, - Examining the effects of instructional design factors on cognitive load, - Developing more accurate emotion recognition models

  Psychological Mechanisms of Emotion-Cognition Interactions in Secondary Mathematics Learning: An Empirical Study based on Large-Scale Educational Behavioral Data · 2026 · DOI

• The need for a systematic understanding of the emotion-cognition interaction mechanisms in secondary mathematics learning. The lack of a multidimensional cognitive load indicator system to assess cognitive ability. The requirement for a framework to analyze large-scale educational behavioral data to reveal emotion-cognition interaction dynamics.

  Psychological Mechanisms of Emotion-Cognition Interactions in Secondary Mathematics Learning: An Empirical Study based on Large-Scale Educational Behavioral Data · 2026 · DOI

• The study faced challenges in promoting growth mindsets among girls in STEM, including the ineffective narrative video format. The paper highlights the challenge of creating an effective control condition that does not inadvertently promote growth mindsets. The study faced challenges in analyzing the data, including the issue of negative ICCs and the need to treat them as zero.

  It doesn’t always have to be this way: promoting girls’ interest in STEM through growth mindsets and structural explanations of gender differences · 2026 · DOI

• investigating the effectiveness of different formats for growth mindset interventions, - examining the impact of control conditions on the growth mindset effect

  It doesn’t always have to be this way: promoting girls’ interest in STEM through growth mindsets and structural explanations of gender differences · 2026 · DOI

• The complexity and multifaceted nature of the concept of classroom engagement. The lack of a clear definition of classroom engagement. The need to develop an instrument that is valid and reliable in the Ethiopian context.

  Development and validation of a secondary school classroom engagement instrument in math and science in the Ethiopian context · 2025 · DOI

• There is a lack of understanding of the role of achievement emotions in the learning process and academic achievement of university students. Prior work has not fully explored the mediating role of motivational components and the moderating role of achievement emotions.

  The relationship between university students’ goal orientation and academic achievement. The mediating role of motivational components and the moderating role of achievement emotions · 2024 · DOI

• In this follow-up analysis, we examine the relation between an understudied construct—perceived functionality of errors—and concurrent math achievement, along with other more commonly studied constructions (i.

  Worked Examples and Self-Explanation Prompts: Elementary Students’ Mathematics Motivation and Error Perceptions · 2026 · DOI

• Previous studies suggest that a growth mindset can serve as a positive cognitive resource that may be associated with such behaviors, but the underlying mechanisms remain underexplored.

  The impact of a growth mindset on adolescents’ health risk behaviors: the chain mediating role of core self-evaluation and coping style · 2026 · DOI

• However, existing studies have mostly examined these constructs separately or within Western contexts, providing limited evidence from Indonesian elementary schools.

  Teacher Enjoyment and Attitudes Toward Student Struggles in Mathematics: Evidence from Indonesian Elementary Schools · 2026 · DOI

• Discussion Future research is needed to empirically validate the scale through field testing, including an examination of construct validity, criterion validity, inter-rater reliability, and predictive validity.

  Beyond the canvas: a Delphi-driven rubric for unlocking artistic giftedness · 2026 · DOI

• Future research may explore teachers’ perspectives and compare schools with varying laboratory resources to further understand laboratory learning.

  Navigating Science: Experiences and Coping Strategies of Grade 12 STEM Students in Laboratory Learning · 2026 · DOI

• However, the study yielded mixed results regarding the impact of access to foreign teachers and the frequency of English lessons per week.

  Profiles of Chinese primary School Students’ Enjoyment and Anxiety in Foreign Language Learning: Combining Variable- and Person-Centered Analyses · 2025 · DOI

• Future studies could examine the longitudinal effects of chemistry learning burnout on students' academic performance and well-being. Future research could also investigate the effectiveness of interventions aimed at promoting internal attributions, chemistry self-efficacy, and chemistry learning engagement.

  Relationships between students’ attributions in chemistry and chemistry learning burnout: the chain mediating roles of chemistry self-efficacy and chemistry learning engagement · 2026 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Education, Achievement, and Giftedness

• Addressing Moderated Mediation Hypotheses: Theory, Methods, and Prescriptions · Multivariate Behavioral Research · 2007 · 8,339 citations
• Motivational and self-regulated learning components of classroom academic performance. · Journal of Educational Psychology · 1990 · 4,672 citations
• The Control-Value Theory of Achievement Emotions: Assumptions, Corollaries, and Implications for Educational Research and Practice · Educational Psychology Review · 2006 · 4,363 citations
• Perceived Self-Efficacy in Cognitive Development and Functioning · Educational Psychologist · 1993 · 4,039 citations
• School readiness and later achievement. · Developmental Psychology · 2007 · 3,816 citations
• Psychological correlates of university students' academic performance: A systematic review and meta-analysis. · Psychological Bulletin · 2012 · 2,631 citations
• The Explanatory and Predictive Scope of Self-Efficacy Theory · Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology · 1986 · 2,630 citations
• A 2 × 2 achievement goal framework. · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · 2001 · 2,592 citations
• Self-Efficacy Beliefs in Academic Settings · Review of Educational Research · 1996 · 2,482 citations
• Implicit Theories of Intelligence Predict Achievement Across an Adolescent Transition: A Longitudinal Study and an Intervention · Child Development · 2007 · 2,456 citations

Most recent work

• The four-phase model of interest development: Addressing individual differences · Learning and Individual Differences · 2026
• Factors Influencing Experiences in Gifted Education and Talent Development from Childhood to Adulthood · Education Sciences · 2026
• Trajectory Patterns of Academic Self‐Efficacy, the Related Factors, and Anxiety Among Chinese College Students · New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development · 2026
• Fostering emotional intelligence and self-regulation in gifted high school students: experimental evidence from a soft skills development program · Frontiers in Education · 2026
• Parental Involvement’s Effect on Grade-4 Students’ Mathematics and Science Performance in the United Arab Emirates · International Journal of Early Childhood · 2026
• Student engagement declines across adolescence: A meta‐analysis of longitudinal studies · Review of Education · 2026
• How ready are gifted education teachers for AI integration? Evidence from BILSEM in Türkiye · Education and Information Technologies · 2026
• Perceptions of academic ups and downs in relation to effort and ability: A cross-cultural comparison of Chinese and Canadian children · Child Development · 2026
• The Contribution of Executive Functions to Academic Achievement in Gifted Children: A Cross-Sectional Study · Journal of Intelligence · 2026
• Explaining academic risk-taking: the role of motivation and locus of control · European Journal of Psychology of Education · 2026

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