In the current study, we followed motivational theories and investigated whether granting junior high school students one more opportunity to take the high-stakes high school entrance exam alleviates students' depressive symptoms, and whether the effect is comparable for adolescent boys and girls residing in Taiwan. We analyzed two longitudinal…

As Taiwanese students progress from elementary to junior high school, there is a remarkable increase in the inequality of achievement in mathematics. This increase is of a magnitude not seen in other countries. Findings show that the widening-gap phenomenon is accompanied by an exceptional increase in the percentage of students reaching the…

Considering that achievement gaps have become a serious educational problem worldwide, the Ministry of Education in Taiwan has been addressing a series of policies to reduce achievement gaps, but the effect of these policies has not yet been carefully examined. Therefore, the present study investigated current educational policies, achievement gap…