Investigating and comparing the behavioral and emotional problems of students using grade skipping with normal students

The oldest method of educating gifted students is grade skipping. In this case, gifted students are able to complete the academic years of the regular education system more quickly and graduate one or more years earlier. According to the report of the Exceptional Education Organization of Iran, the demand for grade skipping is 70% higher than the international standards, and it is increasing every year, but still a study that has dealt with the behavioral and emotional problems of students using this plan has been neglected.

The purpose of this research is to compare and study the behavioral and emotional problems of students using grade skipping with other students.

This descriptive study was a causal-comparative study. The statistical population includes students using the grade skipping in the academic year 2019-2020 in Khorasan Razavi province that 165 out of 286 grade-skipped students were selected by regular random sampling method and the peer group (384 people) as a control group from normal grade students by multi-stage cluster sampling method. To collect the data, a child strength and weakness questionnaire (Goodman, 1997) was used and data analysis was performed with one-way analysis of variance, Scheffe post hoc test, Pearson correlation test and simultaneous multivariate regression.

In this study, findings showed that emotional-behavioral problems in all subscales (Conduct disorder, emotional symptoms, communication problems or peer problems) were higher in students who used grade skipping compared to other peer students (P <0/05).

Students who used the academic leap and had a lower calendar age than their classmates showed more behavioral and emotional problems. It is suggested to use methods based on enriching the educational content in educating gifted students.