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Super talented students are bullied more than other students

Teenagers. Teacher and students in classroomOSLO.Teenagers. Teacher and students in classroom.Photo: Berit Roald / NTB scanpix

The most clever pupils in the school experience far more harassment and bullying than other student groups.

Being a super good student, does not necessarily mean having good schooldays in Norwegian schools, a new study shows.

Among the super gifted students there are far more who are bullied and abused than among student groups that get poorer grades. They also are less likely to get academic challenges, and they experience the learning environment as worse than other students do. Feeling of coping and motivation for school is not particularly high in this group.

While 8 percent of students in this group reported being bullied in 2013, in comparison between 2 and 4 per cent experience being bullied among pupils with grades between 3 and 5 to 6. The bullying is bigger than for students with grades below 3, but not as high as for the highest performing.

In the survey, conducted by NTNU Social Research on behalf of the Directorate of Education, high performing students are defined as students who receive a 6 in mathematics, Norwegian, science and social studies.

Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today