The Winner Takes It All? The Impact of Mathematics Olympiad Elimination on Kazakh High-Achieving Students’ Expectancy-Value Beliefs and Career Aspirations

IF 3.7 3区教育学 Q1 EDUCATION, SPECIAL

Gifted Child Quarterly Pub Date : 2026-09-08 DOI:10.1177/00169862261478502

Zhanar Muradillakyzy Akhmedova, Alandeom W. Oliveira, Nursultan Japashov, Aizhan Mansurova, Selim Jamil Tlili, Bagdat Makulbekuly Kossanov

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Mathematics Olympiads play an important role in developing mathematically gifted students, yet little research has examined how participants interpret the experience of elimination from these highly selective competitions. This qualitative study investigates how mathematically high-achieving students interpret early elimination and how these experiences shape students’ motivation and career aspirations. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten Olympiad participants and four coaches in Kazakhstan. Data were analyzed using constellation mapping, which visually represented relationships among themes emerging from participants’ narratives. Findings reveal three interconnected domains shaping students’ responses to elimination: expectancy-value dynamics, career aspiration trajectories, and support structures that sustain motivation. While some students experienced elimination as a threat to academic identity, others reframed it as an opportunity for growth or redirected their interests toward adjacent Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) pathways. Such findings highlight the importance of mentoring, social belonging, and competition design in supporting resilience among mathematically talented students navigating competitive talent-development systems.

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赢家通吃？奥数淘汰对哈萨克族优等生期望价值信念和职业抱负的影响

数学奥林匹克竞赛在培养数学天才学生方面发挥着重要作用，但很少有研究调查参与者如何解释在这些高度选择性的比赛中被淘汰的经历。这项定性研究调查了数学成绩优异的学生如何解释早期被淘汰，以及这些经历如何塑造学生的动机和职业抱负。对哈萨克斯坦的10名奥林匹克运动员和4名教练进行了半结构化访谈。数据使用星座图进行分析，星座图直观地表示了参与者叙述中出现的主题之间的关系。研究结果揭示了影响学生对被淘汰的反应的三个相互关联的领域：期望值动态、职业抱负轨迹和维持动机的支持结构。虽然一些学生将被淘汰视为对学术身份的威胁，但其他人将其重新定义为成长的机会，或将他们的兴趣转向邻近的科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）途径。这些发现强调了指导、社会归属感和竞赛设计在支持数学天才学生在竞争激烈的人才发展体系中适应能力方面的重要性。

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来源期刊

Gifted Child Quarterly Multiple-

CiteScore

6.30

自引率

29.00%

发文量

期刊介绍： Gifted Child Quarterly (GCQ) is the official journal of the National Association for Gifted Children. As a leading journal in the field, GCQ publishes original scholarly reviews of the literature and quantitative or qualitative research studies. GCQ welcomes manuscripts offering new or creative insights about giftedness and talent development in the context of the school, the home, and the wider society. Manuscripts that explore policy and policy implications are also welcome. Additionally, GCQ reviews selected books relevant to the field, with an emphasis on scholarly texts or text with policy implications, and publishes reviews, essay reviews, and critiques.