Our research

The Hector Children’s Academies are distinguished by intensive scientific support that is unique across Germany. The goal of this support is to continuously develop the educational program based on current research and to empirically demonstrate its effectiveness. The findings from scientific studies directly inform the design of course offerings — fostering a close exchange between science and practice, which benefits the participating children directly. In this way, a support program is created that is optimally tailored to their individual needs.

Our research priorities

Identification of particularly gifted children ( PINGUIN)
Development of knowledge, skills, creativity, interests, etc., in particularly gifted children over time
Support for highly gifted primary school children
Development and evaluation of specific support programs (e.g., Hector Core Courses)

Hector Core Courses

Evidence-Based Effectiveness

Previous findings from the scientific monitoring show clearly: children who participate in the courses of the Hector Children’s Academies were able to significantly improve their performance. A specific support effect was especially observed in the so-called Hector Core Courses. These courses are evaluated through effectiveness studies and promote, among other things, subject-specific skills and an understanding of science — key components for academic and personal success.

Key Publications

Research and Practice in Dialogue

This article describes how randomized controlled trials (RCTs) conducted within the Hector Children’s Academies benefit both educational research and the practical support of gifted students. The close collaboration between science and practice has produced reliable insights into the effectiveness of the support programs. These results help to specifically develop the offerings for highly gifted primary school children. The interplay between research and application is presented as a pioneering model for educational initiatives.

Publication:
Trautwein, U., Golle, J., Jaggy, A. K., Hasselhorn, M., & Nagengast, B. (2023). Mutual benefits for research and practice: Randomized controlled trials in the Hector Children's Academy Program. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1530(1), 96–104. https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.15074

Promoting spatial visualization skills in elementary school children

Skills like spatial visualization are crucial for success in science and technology subjects. When developed early, they later help, among other things, with understanding diagrams, constructions, and complex concepts, and are associated with positive performance improvements in mathematics and the sciences. The study shows initial effects of the Hector Core Course „Räumliche Superkräfte entwickeln“: children improved their perspective-taking and mental 2D rotation—while maintaining stable motivation. The combination of targeted exercises is very promising for fostering spatial visualization skills in elementary school.

Publication:

Kremer, F., Stark, L., Rebholz, F., Bardach, L., Golle, J., Nagengast, B., & Trautwein, U. (2025). Efficacy of an intervention to promote spatial thinking skills. Learning and Instruction, 100, 102184. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2025.102184

Promoting Scientific Understanding Works – Findings from a Scaling-Up Study

The study shows that extracurricular science education for primary school children is not only effective overall, but that girls in particular benefit significantly. The intervention was successfully scaled to reach a larger target group.

Publication:

Schiefer, J., Stark, L., Gaspard, H., Wille, E., Trautwein, U., & Golle, J. (2021). Scaling up an extracurricular science intervention for elementary school students: It works, and girls benefit more from it than boys. Journal of Educational Psychology, 113(4), 784-807. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000630