IAFOR Journal of Education

Volume 6 – Issue 2 – Summer 2018

Home Environment of Selected Filipino Gifted Individuals
Greg Tabios Pawilen
University of the Philippines, Los Banos, the Philippines71

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Abstract
This study investigated the home environment of selected Filipino gifted individuals. It aims
to answer two research questions: (1) what is the giftedness profile of the selected Filipino
gifted?; (2) what types of home environments do Filipino gifted have? This study uses
qualitative methods, specifically narrative research strategy, to provide a description of thehome environment, the socio-emotional, intellectual, and physical environment that nurtures
the intellectual skills, exceptional talents and leadership abilities of the gifted. The study
highlighted important Filipino family values in describing this home environment. In thisstudy, the home environment of the gifted contributed immensely to their positive
development, not only in the nurturance of their giftedness, but also in the development of theirsocio-emotional skills and values system. This study recommends that there should be a stronglink between the school and the family of the gifted, leading towards the establishment ofstronger family support programs for the development and nurture of Filipino gifted students.
Furthermore, schools can also develop different student support programs for gifted students
to create stronger collaboration with the families of gifted students.
Keywords: home environment, giftedness, Filipino gifted72

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Introduction
The Philippines, through the Department of Education, is currently developing its first national
gifted education curriculum standards for the country. This national curriculum will be used inboth public and private schools that will offer gifted education programs. Except for thePhilippine Science High School System, the Philippine High School for the Arts, and public
regional Science high schools, most of the programs for the gifted offered in the Philippines
are adapted from abroad, such as multiple intelligence and Headstart programs, among others.
There are also special classes for music, arts, sports, and science offered in elite private schools.
The K-12 Basic Education Curriculum is designed primarily for regular students but it also
encourages educators and schools to develop and implement curricular programs for otherstudents specially the learners with special education needs, including the gifted.
While it is necessary to develop a curriculum and programs for Filipino gifted learners, it isalso imperative to develop a support system for the development of their personalities, socioemotional skills, and values system. In this study, the role of the family for the development ofFilipino gifted learners is examined.
The study draws inspiration from the home-family experiences of the Filipino gifted that
contributed to their positive personal and social development leading towards positive behavior
and motivation, and academic success. The study aims to examine the family that molded them,and the home that served as their immediate environment during their early childhood days. In
this study, giftedness could be innate to all human beings; however, the development of thisgiftedness and of the gifted could be a product of a positive home environment and happy
relationship among family members.
The concept of giftedness varies between scholars. Davis, Rimm, and Siegle (2011) noted that
there is no single definition of “gifted” that is universally accepted. Some scholars refer to it
as having special talents and abilities, while others think of it as a state of high intellect or
genius. Reading the literature from a myriad publications and studies conducted by experts on
giftedness gives a clear insight that the concept of “giftedness” is always associated to theattributes of “great people” having “great accomplishments”, developing “great ideas” andproducing “great works, inventions or performances”. In some cases, giftedness is also
associated with people having outstanding talents.
Tannenbaum (2003) proposed a definition of giftedness in children to denote their potential forbecoming critically acclaimed performers or exemplary producers of ideas in spheres ofactivity that enhance the moral, physical, emotional, social, intellectual, or aesthetic life of
humanity. For Gagne (1985), giftedness refers to domains of human abilities, talents, todomains of human accomplishments. Giftedness also involves excellence, rarity, productivity,
demonstrability, and value attached to the skills/products of the individual (Sternberg & Zhang,1995).
Given the nature of giftedness, gifted learners can move beyond the limits of their knowledge
and skills. They can easily adapt to any new topics or skills to learn. Upon examining several
studies, Davis, Rimm, and Siegle (2011) reported that gifted individuals are well adjusted inchildhood, and reported to have had greater personal adjustments, emotional stability, selfesteem, professional success, and personal contentment.

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Pfeiffer and Blei (2008) identified the Gifted Rating Scales (GRS) developed in the UnitedStates as a tool to assist in the identification of gifted students. In the GRS, there were six
principles that were considered:
1. Intellectual ability – the student’s verbal and/or non-verbal mental skills,
capacities, or intellectual competence.
2. Academic ability – student’s skill in dealing with factual and /or school-relatedmaterial.
3. Creativity – student’s ability to think, act, and/or produce unique, original, novel,
or innovative thoughts or products.
4. Artistic talent – student’s potential for, or evidence of ability in drama, music,
dance, drawing, painting, sculpture, singing, playing a musical instrument, an/or
acting.
5. Leadership ability – student’s ability to motivate others toward a common or
shared goal.
6. Motivation – student’s drive or persistence, desire to encourage, tendency to enjoy
challenging tasks, and ability to work well without encouragement orreinforcement (pp. 117–118).
Generally, most identified characteristics of gifted individuals appear to be always positive.
However, some examples of negative characteristics of gifted can also be observed in various
social and educational situations like strong preference to work independently, lack ofmotivation and underachievement in areas uninteresting to them, extremely perfectionist, nonconformity, impatient, and sometimes they are not comfortable following rules (Page, 2006;
Davis, Rimm, & Siegle, 2011; Pawilen, 2014). Pawilen (2014) observed that the environment
where they live, especially the family, influenced these characteristics of gifted. Furthermore,
the negative attitudes of the gifted towards learning and other academic tasks are
manifestations of their dissatisfaction to traditional classroom instruction. Thus, given a
positive social, educational, and home environment, gifted individuals can overcome theseweaknesses.
In the Philippines, there are few studies conducted on the gifted characteristics of Filipinos.
Camara (1994) first identified a list of attributes of Filipino gifted that includes intelligence,
attitudes, and values. Wong-Fernandez and Bustos-Orosa (2007) did a study to look into theconceptions of giftedness among Tagalog-speaking Filipinos and suggested a culture-based
understanding of giftedness based on the experiences of the Tagalog people. Mingoa (2006)
examined the making of Filipino scientists and identified gifted characteristics of scientifically
gifted students. Similarly, Larroder and Ogawa (2015) identified scientific awareness, rational
observation, experimentation, application, visualization, initiative, quantification, oblivion inlearning, engrossment in learning, integrated learning, and acquiring of skills (p. 15) as
characteristics of students who are gifted in the field of science based on the checklist
developed by a Japanese scholar, Manabu Sumida, in 2010. Pawilen (2014) also identified
general attributes of Filipino gifted individuals and classified the characteristics of Filipino
gifted into three areas: (1) high intellectual ability, (2) exceptional talents, and (3) outstanding
leadership skills.
This study will be an addition to the growing study and literature on gifted education in thePhilippines. Understanding the home environment of the gifted will provide insights to
educators and parents, and possibly influence the government to provide proper nurture andsupport to the gifted members of the society, especially young children.

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Conceptual Framework
The characteristics of gifted students are greatly influenced by personal and social factors
related to the individual’s immediate environment, especially family and community values
and culture. The nature of gifted students demands an environment that is supportive,
empowering, creative, and democratic. Reichenberg and Landau (2009) pointed out that
despite strong genetic influence on intellectual potential, evidence shows that children’sdevelopment is also largely affected by their family lifestyle, values, goals, and otherenvironmental characteristics. Amabile (1996) and Hennessy (2004) also opined that theenvironment of the gifted also plays a central role in the degree to which high-ability learners
can become independent, innovative, imaginative thinkers. A gifted individual should be
nurtured in an appropriate, compassionate environment
In this study, home environment is necessary for the holistic development of the gifted
potentials and abilities of every person. Tannenbaum (1989) emphasized that society and theenvironment, which includes the home environment, provides the direction and pathway
towards fulfillment of the giftedness of each individual. Knafo and Plomin (2006), in theirstudy, also pointed out that the overall family environment, particularly the relationships andcommunication between its members, provides the foundation for children to develop bothcognitive and affective components of psychosocial behavior, such as social relatedness andempathy.

Figure 1: Conceptual Framework
Figure 1 shows the Conceptual Framework of the study. It shows that the home environmentof the selected Filipino gifted had great impact and influence in the development of their gifts
and in the formation of their character. The positive support from their parents contributed
much to their personal, social, and intellectual development. Filipinos are generally familyoriented. They value their relationship with their family members as a source of inspiration andstrength. Pawilen (2014) observed in his study that Filipino gifted draws their inspiration to
succeed in their studies or in all endeavors, in order to be of help to their families. Filipino
parents are also influential in the development of their children. Parents set the norms andexpectations for each members of the family. For Filipinos, the home is always the center of
their lives. It provides them an environment where they can experience comfort, empowerment,
love, and affection. Thus the home is influential in the development of the gifted.

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Methodology
This study is qualitative. It utilizes a narrative research strategy of inquiry in which theresearcher studies the lives of individuals and asks one or more individuals to provide stories
about their lives (Clandinin and Connelly, 2000). The narrative research strategy is used in thisstudy to describe the home environment of selected Filipino gifted. It aims to describe thesocio-emotional, intellectual, and physical home environment of the selected Filipino gifted. It
seeks to understand how the home-environment contributed to the nurture of the Filipino gifted
individuals. Specifically, it aims to answer the following research questions: what is thegiftedness profile of the selected Filipino gifted?; what types of home environment do Filipino
gifted have?
Research Participants
Purposive sampling was used to identify and select 10 Filipino gifted individuals, from ages
20—30, to participate in this study. Purposive sampling helped the researcher to select gifted
participants from different disciplines and areas. Ethical considerations were also observed in
the selection of the research participants. A letter was sent to the participants to confirm their
willingness to be part of this study. The letter also provided assurance that the researcher willhandle data and responses with utmost confidentiality and respect for privacy. The research
participants were selected using the following criteria:
1. They belong to any of the fields of Science, Mathematics, Language,
Social Sciences, and Humanities.
2. They possess exceptional talents and outstanding leadership skills.
3. They received different academic awards and recognition from theirschools and from the community where they belong.
4. They belong to the top graduates of their schools.
Research Instrument
An interview questionnaire was developed and used to gather data about the profile ofgiftedness and family background of the gifted participants. The questions are not strictly
structured in order to allow the researcher to make follow-up questions on important
information relevant to the study. The interview questionnaire asked the gifted participants todescribe their relationship with their family, parents, and siblings. It also asked the gifted todescribe the socio-emotional and physical environment of their homes.
Data Gathering Procedure
This study is limited to the profile of giftedness and the home environment of 10 identified
Filipino gifted. The profile of the participants will focus only in identifying the specificdomains or disciplines where the participants are identified as gifted, and in identifying their
special talents and abilities. The researcher had the privilege of having personal encounterswith these gifted individuals.
The personal meetings provided opportunities for the researcher to interact with the gifted in anatural setting to gather important information about the home environment of the gifted. The
data gathering procedure included the following:
1. Preparation of questionnaire for the interview
2. Schedule for personal or online interview with the gifted
3. Online and personal interviews to the gifted76

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4. Consolidation of result
Data Analysis
Using the narrative research strategy proposed by Clandinin and Connelly (2000), theresearcher studied the lives of selected Filipino gifted individuals and asked them to provide
stories about their lives through interview. The researcher reported the information into a
narrative chronology that provided meanings that are relevant to the aims of the study.
The researcher used thematic analysis to analyze the result of interviews. Only the important
information and statements of the gifted participants were recorded for the analysis. Some ofthese original responses of the gifted participants were included in this paper to provide support
to the analysis. The statements were organized into different themes that will describe the homeenvironment of the gifted. Statements that include confidential information were excluded in
the study to respect the privacy of the research participants.
Results and Discussion
The results of the study were organized based on the two main research questions explored inthis study.
1. What is the profile of giftedness of the selected Filipino gifted?
The first result of the study provided a profile of giftedness of the selected Filipino gifted. It
identifies the specific disciplines or domains where the participants are considered gifted,
including their special talents and abilities.
Table 1: Gifted Profile of the ParticipantsParticipant
Gifted 1
Gifted 2
Gifted 3
Gifted 4
Gifted 5
Gifted 6
Gifted 7
Gifted 8
Gifted 9
Gifted 10

Discipline/Domain of
Giftedness
Political Science/Economics
Language
Natural Sciences
Music
Social Science
MathSocial Science
Social Science
Social Science
Mathematics

Special Talent & Abilities
Literature& Leadership
Leadership
Leadership
Leadership & Language
Music & Leadership
Music & Language
Leadership & Sports
Music
Theater Arts & Leadership
Language

Table 1 shows the giftedness profiles of the Filipino gifted participants. The result of the study
confirms several studies (Sternberg & Zhang, 1995; Davis, Rimm, and Siegle 2011, Pawilen,2014) that gifted individuals excel in one or more disciplines and they also possess exceptional
talents in different areas like literature, music, art, sports, and foreign language. They also
possess outstanding leadership skills. They are leaders in university organizations; some areoccupying middle management positions in local government units and private companies.
They belong to the top graduates of the universities where they study. The researcher observedthat in spite of their outstanding performance and accomplishments, they are highly sociable
and very humble people.

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The gifted participants are fully aware that they are gifted in their own special way. They grew
up knowing that they have special talent and they are motivated to study various topics that areinteresting to them. For example, aside from his musical intelligence, Gifted 4 pursued his
interest in declamation. Gifted 8 pursued his interest in music and learned to play the organand piano by himself. Gifted 9 joined a theater arts group to pursue her interest in drama, andGifted 10 joined a students’ organization to develop his leadership and social skills. The gifted
individuals are products of a happy home environment. Nurture plays an important factor in
the development of their giftedness.
The result of the study shows an interesting story about the 10 Filipino gifted. First, they
possess high intellectual ability, outstanding talent and skills, and leadership skills. They excel
in different areas and domains from sciences, social sciences, and humanities. They also
possess various talents in arts and music. These findings support earlier studies done on thecharacteristics of Filipino gifted conducted by Pawilen (2014), Camara (1994), and WongFernandez and Bustos-Orosa (2007).
The gifted in this study are aware of their gifts that made them different from other people.
They are aware of their intellectual ability and they are also happy to have special talents andinterests in other areas especially in music, arts, and literature. They see the world differently
compared to other people. They think differently and they express their ideas and thinking in
the most creative way. They understand that giftedness is embedded in their identity as aperson.
2. What types of home environment do Filipino gifted have?
This section provides a description of the home environment of the selected Filipino gifted
participants in the study in terms of (a) socio-emotional environment, (2) intellectual
environment, and (3) physical environment of their home.
The Socio-emotional Environment of their Home
The result of the interview and discussion with the gifted provides interesting insights that are
valuable for the study to understand the home environment of the gifted. The Filipino gifted inthis study live in a happy home with parents, brothers and sisters, and some with their relatives.
The results from the interview were analyzed based on the several themes based on theirexpressions and statements. In this section, sample statements for each theme or category arereported.
A. The participants grew up in different socio-economic contexts. Not all of them camefrom rich or middle class families. Out of the nine Filipino gifted participants in thisstudy, only three come from upper class families. Seven of the gifted belong to poorfamilies.
We are largely dependent on the salary of my father who works abroad augmented bysome rental payments collected from our small landholdings. We are also a Christian,United Methodist family and we value our faith as we count it to be the glue that binds
us together (Gifted 1).
My family is the exact definition of a simple conventional family. My father was afisherman while my mother used to sell seafood at the market. We were 9 in the family:
my parents, my 6 siblings, and me. We belong to the average type of family in terms offinances and resources (Gifted 5).

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We have a simple family but my parents provide everything we need (Gifted 7).
I came from a family of farmers. We are poor, but my parents work hard to provide ourdaily needs (Gifted 8).
My parents are working. We don’t see each other much because we all have work andschool in the morning (Gifted 9).
I grew up in a modest house. We have a simple life compared to our neighbors. My
mom works hard for our family (Gifted 10).
B. The gifted grew up in religious families. This confirms the former study of Pawilen(2014) that while there are Filipino gifted who are known to be atheists, many of them
are raised in deeply religious families. Six of the gifted are very active in churchorganizations as youth leaders. Gifted 2 and 3 are youth leaders in the church, Gifted 4
and 8 are church musicians, and Gifted 6, 7, and 9 are active in the church.
We are Christians. We value our faith as we count it to be the glue that binds us
together (Gifted 1).
My family is guided by the wisdom from the Lord. We usually talk about matters in the
church and our spirituality (Gifted 5).
We are a protestant family. We are all active in the church (Gifted 8).
We are very close to the Lord. We always go to church on Sundays (Gifted 9).
I go to church with my family. They are devoted Christians (Gifted 10).
C. The participants grew up with parents who are loving and supportive. All the gifted
received full support from their parents who appreciated their giftedness. Their parents
provided them emotional support whenever they encounter academic or personal
problems. This contributed much in the development of their behavior and character.
Their parents served as their first mentors. It can also be observed that, although thegifted have had very good relationship with their fathers, all of them are closer to theirmothers.
A spirit of openness permeates my relationship with my parents. However, I am closer
to my mother. (Gifted 1)
I have a loving, supportive, and caring family (Gifted 2).
My family is very supportive of my gifts, and they affirmed those early on, and foundopportunities and avenues for me to continuously hone my God-given abilities.
However, they do not push me too much, as some parents do who have a “advance tobe recognized” attitude (Gifted 4).
I treat my family as a gift from the Lord. They have always been my source of comfort
and wise decisions. I always find joy whenever we have conversations over dinner andsimple family bonding like going to church (Gifted (5).

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I believe my family nurtured my gifted potential and abilities by showing me support
to achieve my dreams in spite of numerous predicaments that hinder the path to thisdream. Moreover, allowing and supporting me to join and compete in several schoolcompetitions have greatly helped me to develop my potentials and abilities (Gifted 6).
My parents are very supportive. They put no pressure on us but see to it that they liveby example all the values and skills they want to impart to us. I can say that I’m closer
to my mom, “mama’s boy.” My father’s traits balance the perfectionism brought by
my mother (Gifted 7).
In spite of their limited resources, my father and mother make sure that our basic
needs are provided (Gifted 8).
D. The gifted have positive relationships with their parents especially with their mother.
This helped them develop their self-esteem. The gifted shared about their positive
relationship with their parents as a key to their success. The emotional bond between
them and their parents developed in them a positive outlook about life. The open
communication between them and their parents allowed them to become independentand create their own identity. They are not pressured to follow either the footsteps oftheir mother or father.
I treasure my relationship with my parents. I am very close to both my mother andfather. I can easily share them my struggles and problems. I always seek and follow
their advice before making decisions (Gifted 3).
I am more open to my mom rather than to my dad. We spend a lot of time together.
Most of the time, I defer to their opinions, views, and decisions, especially on
important matters (Gifted 4).
I feel that whenever I need their assistance, they, especially my mother, always show
their everlasting support. Moral values imparted by my parents have also guided me
to not stray from what is right and just, to always dream for something extraordinary,and to exhaust all rightful means to overcome difficulties (Gifted 6).
My father is strict but my mother is a good team leader of the family. We areencouraged to pursue our interests and develop our talents. They encouraged us tojoin church and social activities that can help us further develop our abilities (Gifted
8).
It was my mom who always ensured that I excel in class. After school, she would tutor
me and would give me a lot of exercises and worksheets (Gifted 9).
I enjoyed their company. They support me in everything I do. They helped meunderstand peoples’ behavior and how to deal with them (Gifted 10).
E. The participants have good relationships with their siblings. The gifted in this study
talked about happy moments they spent with their brothers and sisters. While there weretimes when they had disagreements or arguments at home, their relationship with theirsiblings remained strong.

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I am more open to my sister since she is my twin. She knows well about my strengths,
weaknesses, problems, victories, and dreams. We have different temperaments but wehave learned to understand each other and support each other’s tasks (Gifted 3).
My brother and I are very close, and we bond together by doing different activities,
such as playing music together, playing sports such as basketball, and even in playing
computer games. (Gifted 4).
My little sister and I are very close to each other. We were playmates during ourchildhood. Though we have a six-year gap, we can still identify with the interests ofeach other and laugh at the same jokes. (Gifted 5).
I usually get along with my brothers although we have different personalities andideologies (Gifted 6).
I enjoyed the company of my siblings. They are loving and very supportive. We makesure to support each other in everything we can (Gifted 10).
F. The gifted learned essential values and important lessons at home. Their parents served
as their mentors and guides. They helped the gifted examine their personal values. Theirparents taught them to behave properly and to develop good rapport or relationships
with other people. Their parents also taught them to have positive personal discipline,
to value education, and to dream for a good life. Their parents never failed to remindthem to focus on using their gifts to create a good life.
Most important is to make Jesus the center and core of my life because only in Him istrue peace found. Further, loving one’s work and oneself was always emphasized(Gifted 1).
I have learned simplicity, humility, faith, and perseverance from my parents. These
have served as the fundamentals of my life, equipping me with the right tools to facelife’s battles (Gifted 2).
Without the perpetual reminder of our parents to always be gritty, to persevere, andto value education, I would be misguided and not so adamant about dreaming big andtaking necessary steps to pursue success (Gifted 6).
Simplicity, humility, Christ-centeredness, excellence, perseverance, and courage are
the values I learned from my parents (Gifted 8).
I learned basic conventions like proper food etiquette and proper occasion etiquette.
They would also always remind me of my gender and that I should be careful because
I am a woman (Gifted 9).
I learned much of my life skills from my parents (Gifted 10).
G. The participants’ families served as their inspiration to be successful. The gifted areaware of the sacrifices of their parents for their families. They want to give their family
a sense of pride. They were not pressured to have academic awards in school, except
Gifted 9, but it seems natural for them to be successful and strive for accuracy and81

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perfection in everything they do. This is considered to be a good way of “giving back”
to their parents. Helping the family, particularly their parents, is one of the traditionalfamily values.
My family served as my safe zone that defends and protects me from the hostility oflife. They also served as my provider, counselor, critic, and comforter (Gifted 1).
They have supported my dreams and endeavors, so they are a huge part of my success.
They also taught me that I should learn to be independent. This made me discover andlearn things by my own, which boosted my self-confidence and maturity as a person(Gifted 4).
They have always been my inspiration. The sacrifices of my parents and my desire to
be a good “kuya” fueled me to work hard for what I am now (Gifted 5).
My family, especially my mother, always serves as my inspiration and my motivation
to dream big and pursue things that I think would be helpful both to me and to myfamily in the long run. They also guided me and helped me both personally andfinancially to overcome hindrances on the path I am taking (Gifted 6).
My family is basically who I am today. They have been very supportive, especially myparents, in all my endeavors. The never failed to provide (material/non-material)(Gifted 7).
I always considered my parents to be my inspiration in life. I will strive to do my best
to become the pride of my family (Gifted 8).
I believe that without their constant nagging and reminder to always be the best
versions of us in school, I wouldn’t aim extra high. They would always remind us ofwhat we could attain if we study hard and if we have a lot of achievements (Gifted 9).
My family serves as my inspiration in everything I do. They are my constant guides(Gifted 10).
H. There is a feeling of security with their family. The gifted consider their homes to be
their comfort zones for all the support they need in life. At home they are happy
knowing that they do not need to prove anything.
My family provided financial, emotional and spiritual support in forms of gifts, prayers,kind words, tender touches, advises, and prayers, that allowed me to dream freely andattain such (Gifted 1).
Despite of the fact that our parents were not able to graduate from college, they are
doing their best to support our education. Our parents have always been willing tosupport us in our trainings in school and outside the school. My father always reminds
us that our education is the best treasure they can offer to us (Gifted 2).
Our home is safe and secured. It is a place where I can relax after days of tiring work.
It also has a welcoming feeling. I think the positive vibe coming from our relationshipwith one another adds to the good ambiance of our home (Gifted 5).

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My family is surely my source of comfort and strength. They surround me with greatlove and support (Gifted 8).
Our home is a haven for me (Gifted 10).
I. The participants are gifted, but they have always been treated as normal. The giftedgrew up normally like their brothers and sisters. They did not receive special attention;
instead, they were allowed to experience a normal family environment with no pressure
to excel or be a model to their brothers and sisters, except Gifted 9 who is expected toget high grades and academic awards. This helps the gifted in their social adjustment
and in the development of their social competence.
We were always treated equally, in my opinion. [There was] No favoritism involved(Gifted 4).
They have a fair treatment. Favoritism was never an issue in the family. We have ourdifferences in terms of our biological sexes, age, and interests. So, different but notunequal treatment was given to us (Gifted 5).
I think our parents are trying their best to be fair to all of us (Gifted 7).
I have not heard my parents compare me to my siblings. I believe my parents consider
the differences we have (Gifted 6).
I grew up as a normal child. There is no favoritism at home. I always have a great timewith my siblings (Gifted 10).
Filipinos are generally known to be family-oriented. The 10 Filipino gifted in this study are
products of a happy family environment. They are all happy to belong to a good family. They
were nurtured and supported by families who understand their giftedness and feel proud of
their accomplishments. This study affirms that the family plays a vital role in nurturing thegiftedness of gifted individuals. This is supported by a study of Gecas and Schwalbe (1986),
and Webb, Gore, Amend, and DeVries (2007) where the family is regarded as a place where achild’s initial sense of self is formed through intimate, intensive interactions with thesignificant people in his or her life. These also support earlier studies on the Filipino gifted
done by Pawilen (2014), Camara (1994), Mingoa (2006), and Wong-Fernandez and BustosOrosa (2007) where family environment and the positive relationship among family members
was found to play an important role in the development of Filipinos who are gifted.
The selected Filipino gifted considered their homes to be the major influence in thedevelopment of their behavior and giftedness. It can be observed from the responses of theselected gifted participants that they have an intimate relationship with their mothers. The
feminine touch of a mother inspired them to develop their talents and pursue their interests. It
was also their mothers who inspired and guided them in their academic journey. The hands-on
mentoring of their mothers developed their high level of motivation in all their endeavors.
Intellectual environment of the home
The intellectual environment of the home is important in the development and nurture of theselected Filipino gifted. The responses reported here demonstrate the participants’ perceptionsof this environment.

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A. The participants discuss different issues and were trained to analyze and solve
problems. The gifted shared common sentiments that their parents are good teachers.
They were trained to develop analytical and critical thinking by engaging them incritical discussions about various topics and social issues. Campbell and Verma(2007) pointed out that an academic home climate is an essential environment for thegifted.
Political and theological matters spring out as usual topics of conversation and thatsuch are not considered to be taboo, even if one contradicts the older people, thetradition, and even if one talks about relationships, romance, sex and sexuality(Gifted 1).
Both my parents are academic achievers, and they strongly believe in the value of
education. My mom helped me to have a love for books. My dad is good in
Mathematics and logic. There is always a craving for information, and we almost
always have a newspaper everyday. We also have discourses and discussions during
dinnertime about the day’s events, politics, news, and anything worth talking about(Gifted 4).
I have always been open to them about my problems in all aspects of my life. My
parents just listen, process my thoughts, help me analyze, and encourage me to findsolution by myself (Gifted 5).
My family values excellence. We seldom talk of non-sensible things (Gifted 7).
We always have discussions on various issues every night before we sleep. I learned
to value history because of this (Gifted 8).
My mother and my sisters are the ones who love reading and studying (Gifted 9).
We do have a lot of intellectual discussions at home. It’s like we are in a classroom(Gifted 10).
B. The gifted are encouraged to pursue their own interest and develop their giftedness.
The gifted in this study are not products of stage parents. They were allowed to
explore possibilities and opportunities to develop their interests and passion forsomething. Their parents and older siblings are there to provide advice only whenneeded. This allowed the gifted to make personal decisions and experience taking
risks.
I believe my parents have provided us equal support to what we think is importantand necessary for us. (Gifted 6)
Their unconditional support motivates and inspires me to keep growing anddreaming (Gifted 2)
I was not that sheltered, my parents made it sure that I would have a well-balanced
upbringing by giving me the chance to learn life by experiencing various
circumstances by myself. It made me more open and understanding of otherpersons’ perspectives. (Gifted 4)84

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My mother always reminds us to do our best. She supported us. She always
encouraged me to do all the things that can improve myself and so I had many
extracurricular activities way back then. (Gifted 5)
My parents were not able to go to college because of poverty. However, they are
persistent in encouraging us to do well in our studies. They also taught us someskills in music like playing instruments and voice. They made sure that we havenormal lives. Our mother is good in helping us process our problems. (Gifted 8)
My mother encouraged me to pursue my interest in Mathematics. She encouraged
me to develop my talents too (Gifted 10).
The intellectual environments of their homes are essential in the development of the gifted.
This provides nurture to the intellectual abilities of the gifted. They were exposed to different
social issues, they were encouraged to speak out and share their opinions, and they were trained
to argue and develop reasoning skills. This made the gifted develops their critical thinking andcommunication skills. For the Filipino gifted, the role of the mother is essential in supporting
the development of their giftedness. Freeman (2001) noted that for all high achievers, the mostimportant influence in their lives has almost always been exceptional support andencouragement from their parents.
The Physical Environment of their Home
The physical environment is also contributory to the development of the selected Filipino giftedin this study. This section describes the physical environment of their homes.
A. The participants live in simple homes. They do not have the luxury that other people
and families are enjoying. The gifted in this study grew up in homes that are enoughto give them the space they need, equipped with basic amenities.
We have a comfortable and safe home nestled in the countryside, with most of themodern conveniences of life (Gifted 1).
Our home is very simple yet orderly and neat. There is enough space for leisureand study (Gifted 2).
Our home is very simple yet orderly and neat. My mother is very responsible inmanaging our needs at home. She also wants us to develop such skill so that we canalso manage our future families well (Gifted 3).
Our home is a medium sized place, modest but warm. There is always free space toroam around, and there is a big garden at the side. My parents enjoy nature so
there are a lot of plants and there are several trees planted in our lot. Our village
is not yet that heavily populated so there is still a lot of greenery left. This enhances
my way of thinking, and also refreshes the mind during times that I need some space(Gifted 4).
The house is small but enough to accommodate all of us in the family. It is locatedin a remote area from the town proper. Because of the location, establishments are
not readily available (Gifted 6).

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Our house is not that big but spacious enough for the five of us. It’s basically thestandard type of house and nothing much grand inside it (Gifted 9).
We live in a normal urban home. My mother tried her best to provide everything weneed (Gifted 10).
B. The participants have books and other resources in their homes that they can use todevelop their intellectual skills and abilities.
We have a pretty mini library where encyclopedia, books on theology, history
books, and elementary, secondary, and tertiary textbooks abound along withprintouts of some academic journal articles (Gifted 1).
Three quarters of my room are devoted to books. We have enough educational
resources that we can use at home. We have musical instruments and musical pieces
that we can use to develop our music skills (Gifted 4).
My parents are good providers. They try their best to give us lots of learningmaterials at home, from books to personal computer (Gifted 7).
We aren’t rich and so we couldn’t afford extra classes and workshops. My motherwas always the one who would review me for quizzes and tests (Gifted 9).
We have books, computer, and other resources at home. My mother tried her best
to provide everything we need (Gifted 10).
C. Some of the gifted have limited resources for learning and live in simple homes,
but they are surrounded by nature. Their context inspired them to develop
themselves and to strive for success and develop creative ideas. Nature has its own
way to nurture the gifts of the gifted. They did not allow the limits of theirenvironment to impede their giftedness. In fact, they use their environment as
inspiration and as a laboratory for pursuing their interests and to dream.
Our house is far from the town proper. Because of the location, establishments are
not readily available and we do not have all the resources we need. However, weare surrounded by nature that inspires my creativity to study science andmathematics (Gifted 6).
We have limited resources at home. We borrowed books and magazines from ourneighbors. We were taught to be creative and make use of what we have. Farms
also surround our house, so I developed my interests of science looking at theinsects, local plants, and other objects that make me curious about the world. At
night, I would look up to the sky and feel that I am surrounded by science (Gifted
8).
The study stressed the importance of the physical home environment in the development of thegifted. Csikszentmihalyi (2013) pointed out that even the most abstract mind is affected by thesurroundings of the body. In this study, the selected Filipino gifted grew up in homes withresources like books and other printed resources, have access to basic technology, and aresurrounded by nature. Two of the gifted do not have all the resources they need but they seem86

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to disregard this. Instead, they study and live happily even in the most dismal surroundings.
Weiner (2016) also sets out to examine the connection between the surroundings and the mostinnovative ideas. According to Weiner, the gifted draws inspiration from their environment todevelop ideas and inventions, which contribute to solving problems. This also holds true in thisstudy. The spatiotemporal context in which gifted participants live has consequences in theirlives. Csikszentmihalyi (2013) pointed out that regardless of whether the conditions they findthemselves are luxurious or miserable, the gifted manage to give their surroundings a personalpattern that echoes the rhythm of their thoughts and habits of action.
Conclusion
The study attempted to describe the home environment of selected Filipino gifted. It subscribes
to the idea that the outstanding abilities of the gifted are raw materials that need to be nurtured,and the home environment of the gifted are contributory to the holistic development of thegifted. The 10 Filipino gifted in this study belong to families of different socio-economic
backgrounds. They were born with outstanding intellectual abilities and talents. They haveoutstanding academic performance in various areas and disciplines like mathematics, science,
language, music, humanities, and social sciences. They are fully aware of their giftedness,talents, and potentials.
The study concludes that the home environment has a positive impact in the development of
the gifted. The study shows that the selected Filipino gifted are products of a positive homeenvironment. Parents who are loving and supportive nurtured them, and equally loving andsupportive siblings provided support in the development of their giftedness. These enabled thegifted to develop their self-esteem, social competence, intellectual ability, positive behavior,and high motivation. Furthermore, the study concludes that there is a need to strengthen thefamily support for gifted students. Educational institutions and professional organizations mayneed to reach out to parents and families of gifted individuals to help them understand thegiftedness of their children and develop ways how to support them. Love, support, andunderstanding from the family could be the best gifts that a family could give to a gifted person.

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Corresponding author: Greg Pawilen
Contact email: gregpawilen@yahoo.com

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