Publication details
Gifted Students’ Experiences of Mathematics Education in Czech Schools: A Qualitative Study
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2026 |
| Type | Peer-reviewed scientific article |
| Magazine / Source | Open Education Studies |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| web | https://doi.org/10.1515/edu-2025-0156 |
| Doi | https://doi.org/10.1515/edu-2025-0156 |
| Keywords | experiences of students; mathematically gifted students; mathematics education; multi-year grammar and lower secondary schools; qualitative research |
| Description | This study examined the experiences of mathematically gifted students in mathematics education in Czech multi-year grammar and lower secondary schools, drawing on Self-Determination Theory (Ryan and Deci 2017). This area has received limited attention in existing research. Despite the prevalence of research focusing on teachers’ perspectives of gifted students, the voices of these students themselves have been largely overlooked (Gomez-Arizaga et al. 2020). The present study addresses this gap by emphasising students’ experiences through a qualitative design based on structured interviews with ten mathematically gifted students. The findings of the study indicated both differences and similarities between multi-year grammar school and lower secondary school students. Multi-year grammar school students appreciated structured lessons and often sought cognitive challenges. This suggests a clear preference for opportunities such as group work, flexible problem solving, competitions, and engaging tasks. In contrast, lower secondary school students frequently perceived the level of challenge as insufficient and reported a paucity of task differentiation. Furthermore, the pace of instruction was characterised as relatively slow, with a call for more interactive approaches incorporating games and technology. The findings of the study demonstrated that both groups exhibited characteristics of differentiation and individualisation; however, these characteristics appeared to be more constrained within the context of the lower secondary school. The results of the study highlight the importance of creating an educational environment that supports autonomy, competence, and engagement to foster the development of mathematical giftedness. |
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