Getting fit for the mathematical olympiad: positive effects on achievement and motivation?

All around the world, there are numerous academic competitions (e.g., “Academic Olympiads”) and corresponding training courses to foster students’ competences and motivation. But do students’ competences and motivation really benefit from such courses? We developed and evaluated a course that was designed to prepare third and fourth graders to participate in the German Mathematical Olympiad. Its effectiveness was evaluated in a quasi-experimental pre- and posttest design (N = 201 students). Significant positive effects of the training were found for performance in the academic competition (for both third and fourth graders) as well as mathematical competences as measured with a curriculum-oriented test (for fourth graders only). Differential effects across grade levels (with more pronounced positive effects in fourth-grade students) were observed for students’ math self-concept and task-specific interest in mathematics, pointing to possible social comparison effects.Weltweit gibt es eine Vielzahl akademischer Wettbewerbe (z.B. „Akademische Olympiaden“) sowie entsprechende Begleitangebote, in denen Leistung und Motivation der Teilnehmenden gefördert werden sollen. Aber profitieren Teilnehmende wirklich von solchen Kursen? Wir haben ein solches Begleitangebot, das Lernende der dritten und vierten Klasse auf die Teilnahme an der Deutschen Mathematik-Olympiade vorbereiten soll, entwickelt und dessen Wirksamkeit in einem quasi-experimentellen Prä- and Posttest-Design evaluiert (N=201 SchülerInnen). Die Ergebnisse zeigten positive Effekte auf die Leistungen in der Mathe-Olympiade für Schülerinnen und Schüler beider Klassenstufen sowie auf die mathematischen Kompetenzen der ViertklässlerInnen gemessen mit einem Curriculums-orientierten Test. Darüber hinaus wurden für das mathematische Selbstkonzept und das aufgabenspezifische Interesse der SchülerInnen in Mathematik stärkere positive Effekte bei den Viertklässlern beobachtet, was darauf hindeutet, dass soziale Vergleichsprozesse stattgefunden haben

Getting fit for the Mathematical Olympiad: positive effects on achievement and motivation?

All around the world, there are numerous academic competitions (e.g., “Academic Olympiads”) and corresponding training courses to foster students’ competences and motivation. But do students’ competences and motivation really benefit from such courses? We developed and evaluated a course that was designed to prepare third and fourth graders to participate in the German Mathematical Olympiad. Its effectiveness was evaluated in a quasi-experimental pre- and posttest design (N = 201 students). Significant positive effects of the training were found for performance in the academic competition (for both third and fourth graders) as well as mathematical competences as measured with a curriculum-oriented test (for fourth graders only). Differential effects across grade levels (with more pronounced positive effects in fourth-grade students) were observed for students’ math self-concept and task-specific interest in mathematics, pointing to possible social comparison effects.</p