There is a lack of research on students' conceptions of giftedness and intelligence, despite recognition of their influence on real-life factors such as achievement and motivation. This paper presents a cross-sectional mixed methods study that investigated Finnish students' (age 6-16 years; N = 1282) implicit conceptions of giftedness and…

Due to COVID-19, 2020 was a strange and different school year for many students around the world. Based on a survey of primary school students (N = 2665) conducted in December 2020, this article examines students' well-being and stress levels one year after the first COVID-19 outbreak. It also examines how students emotionally relate to the…

This longitudinal case study examines reading difficulties identified in Grade 2 and Grade 6 national assessment test (NAT) scores in relation to Grade 9 NAT in Swedish (L1) and English (L2). A norm-referenced screening was used in Grade 2 to assess word reading and reading comprehension. In line with the simple view of reading, four subgroups…

Several international large-scale assessments were conducted at the turn of the new century, and during the past two decades the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) completed seven cycles of assessment to facilitate practitioners' policy debates and governance. This study reviews PISA-related articles published in English and…

In August 2011, Norwegian schools welcomed survivors of the Utøya massacre to a new school year. Based on interviews with 135 students who went back to school weeks after experiencing extreme trauma, this study investigates their perception of schooling and learning. Sixty percent of the students reported a variety of reduced academic functioning,…

We investigated changes in youths' intentions to quit school after following a group-based cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) based intervention for depressed adolescents in upper secondary school: the Adolescent Coping with Depression Course (ACDC). Data were collected from 228 youths, 133 of whom received the 14-week ACDC intervention and 95 who…

This article is based on a case study of the school life of Fatou, a newly arrived adolescent student with limited experiences of formal schooling. Drawing on Goffman's theories on impression and stigma management, the article explores the techniques employed by Fatou in order to pass as a "normal" student in the mainstream classroom.…

Research in the Scandinavian school context has indicated that physical education (PE) is dominated by activities and values from a sports discourse. The main aim of this study was to explore students' experiences of two competitive activities provided by the teacher. The participants were 49 students (13-15 years old) and their two teachers from…

This cross-sectional study examined the links of social-emotional competencies (SECs: emotional regulation, relationship skills, and planning of schoolwork) with emotional well-being (EWB) and academic engagement (behavioral and emotional) among 1085 lower secondary school students. A latent structural model was tested using Mplus. The model…

Students' school success and general well-being can improve when they believe in their academic abilities and are aware of the purpose of their studies. This paper explores the development of Icelandic students' academic self-concept and sense of purpose in their learning. The focus is directed at the period from the end of compulsory school…

The importance of the opportunity to learn (OTL) for mathematics achievement has been extensively researched. However, there were still unanswered questions regarding OTL's measurement, analytical level, and relationship with motivational beliefs. To fill in the gaps, we aimed to (1) scrutinize the reliability and validity of OTL, (2) investigate…

This article examines collaborative writing in schools by systematically reviewing peer-reviewed and empirical articles published in English in scientific journals between 1986 and 2020. Drawing on scoping review methodology and using the typology of collaborative writing, 107 studies on collaborative writing in first-language school contexts…

This article investigates the role of socioeconomic family resources in modifying the relationships with upper secondary school completion (SSC) for three mental health dimensions, i.e., externalizing, internalizing and substance use disorders. Using data from administrative registers, we follow a cohort in Norway born in 1996 into early…

This cluster-randomised study investigated the effects of a Norwegian early warning system, the IKO model. IKO is a Norwegian acronym for identification, assessment, and follow-up, and the model aims to improve schools' abilities to identify and support students who are at risk of dropping out during the school year. The study involved 7677…

This study investigates the levels of and associations among academic stress, perceived motivational climate and emotional problems in students at Norwegian upper secondary schools. A structural equation model with a sample of 1379 students (M[subscript age] 16.5 years old) tested the associations between perceived mastery and performance climates…