@article{KretschmannVockLuedtke2014,
  author    = {Kretschmann, Julia and Vock, Miriam and Luedtke, Oliver},
  title     = {Acceleration in elementary school: using propensity score matching to estimate the effects on academic achievement},
  series = {The journal of educational psychology},
  volume    = {106},
  journal   = {The journal of educational psychology},
  number    = {4},
  publisher = {American Psychological Association},
  address   = {Washington},
  issn      = {0022-0663},
  doi       = {10.1037/a0036631},
  pages     = {1080 -- 1095},
  year      = {2014},
  abstract  = {Using German data, we examined the effects of one specific type of acceleration-grade skipping-on academic performance. Prior research on the effects of acceleration has suffered from methodological restrictions, especially due to a lack of appropriate comparison groups and a priori measurements. For this reason, propensity score matching was applied in this analysis to minimize selection bias due to observed confounding variables. Various types of matching were attempted, and, in consideration of balancing the covariates, full matching was the final choice. We used data from the Berlin ELEMENT Study, analyzing, after matching, the information of 81 students who had skipped a grade over the course of elementary school and up to 1,668 nonaccelerated students who attended the same grade level as the accelerated students. Measurements took place 3 times between the 4th and 6th grades, including the assessment of reading, spelling, and mathematics performance. After matching, the results of between-group comparisons regarding performance indices showed no significant effects of skipping a grade, other than a small positive effect found on spelling performance. Theoretical implications and methodological limitations are discussed.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{BeckerNeumannTetzneretal.2014,
  author    = {Becker, Michael and Neumann, Marko and Tetzner, Julia and B{\"o}se, Susanne and Knoppick, Henrike and Maaz, Kai and Baumert, J{\"u}rgen and Lehmann, Rainer},
  title     = {Development? Effects of the transition into academically selective schools},
  series = {The journal of educational psychology},
  volume    = {106},
  journal   = {The journal of educational psychology},
  number    = {2},
  publisher = {American Psychological Association},
  address   = {Washington},
  issn      = {0022-0663},
  doi       = {10.1037/a0035425},
  pages     = {555 -- 568},
  year      = {2014},
  abstract  = {The present study investigates school context effects on psychosocial characteristics (academic self-concept, peer relations, school satisfaction, and school anxiety) of high-achieving and gifted students. Students who did or did not make an early transition from elementary to secondary schools for high-achieving and gifted students in 5th grade in Berlin, Germany, are compared in their psychosocial development. The sample comprises 155 early-entry students who moved to an academically selective secondary school (Gymnasium) and 3,169 regular students who remained in elementary school until the end of 6th grade. Overall, a complex pattern of psychosocial development emerged for all students, with both positive and negative outcomes being observed. Specifically, the transition into academically selective learning environments seemed to come at some cost for psychosocial development. Propensity score matching analysis isolating the effects of selective school intake and the school context effect itself revealed negative contextual effects of early transition to Gymnasium on academic self-concept and school anxiety; additionally, the positive trend in peer relations observed among regular students was not discernible among early-entry students.},
  language  = {en}
}