How high-achieving student subgroups are identified is widely discussed. Studies use different domain-general and domain-specific achievement indicators and methodological approaches. Traditional research included cut-off scores, which have been criticized as arbitrary. Recently, latent profile analyses have been used more often. The present study compared these approaches regarding their overlap to investigate their interchangeability. Afterwards, high-achieving student subgroups were characterized by their motivational-affective characteristics. Data from N = 1563 high-achieving students were investigated. We used three achievement indicators (two mathematical competences and figural reasoning) for identification and four motivational-affective characteristics for characterization. The four largest high-achieving student subgroups were found through both approaches. However, the two methodological approaches could not be used interchangeably. Large heterogeneity in achievement indicators and motivational-affective characteristics existed across the subgroups. Top Performers have been identified as the target state for education, as they showed high scores on all achievement indicators and the most positive motivational-affective characteristics.

广泛讨论了如何识别成绩优异的学生小组。研究使用不同的领域一般和特定领域的成就指标和方法。传统研究包括截止分数，被批评为武断。最近，潜在轮廓分析已被更频繁地使用。本研究比较了这些方法的重叠，以研究它们的可互换性。之后，高成就学生亚组的特点是他们的动机-情感特征。来自N的数据 = 调查了 1563 名成绩优异的学生。我们使用三个成就指标（两个数学能力和图形推理）进行识别，并使用四个动机-情感特征进行表征。通过这两种方法找到了四个最大的高成就学生小组。但是，这两种方法不能互换使用。各亚组的成就指标和动机-情感特征存在很大的异质性。最佳表现者已被确定为教育的目标状态，因为他们在所有成就指标和最积极的动机-情感特征上都表现出高分。