bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Musical Talent: Innate or Acquired? Perceptions of Students, Parents, and Teachers
Authors: Evans Robert J. , Bickel Robert , Pendarvis Edwina D.
Published: January 2007

Secondary analysis of descriptive data concerning musically gifted students, their parents, and their teachers yields distinctive attribution patterns for each group. The patterns describe this group of students as attributing much of their success to inborn ability and hard work. These accomplished students, however, describe family members and friends as discouraging their musical development. Parents, in sharp contrast, report their children as having only ordinary levels of inborn talent, and they attribute their children's musical accomplishments to encouragement provided by family and friends. Teachers in this study attribute students' musical development to innate talent, hard work, and schooling. Differences among these attribution patterns are surprising, but are consistent with research that suggests that individuals often make causal attributions that are self-serving, giving a good deal of credit to their own characteristics or influence.
Compensation Strategies Used by High-Ability Students With Learning Disabilities who Succeed In College
Authors: Reis Sally M. , McGuire Joan M. , Neu Terry W.
Published: January 2007

To investigate how high-ability students With learning disabilities succeed in postsecondary academic environments, 12 young adults with disabilities who were successful at the university level were studied. Extensive interviews with these young adults provided examples of the problems faced by high-ability students with learning disabilities, as well as the specific compensation strategies the used to address and overcome these problems. Four of the participants had been identified as having a learning disability in elementary school; six were identified in junior or senior high school; and two were not diagnosed until college. The participants believed that having a learning disability was considered by elementary or secondary school personnel as synonymous with below-average ability. They reported that content remediation, rather than instruction in compensatory strategies, was usually provided in elementary and secondary school learning disability programs. In this article, the compensation strategies used by academically gifted students who succeeded in college are discussed. These include: study strategies, cognitive/learning strategies. compensatory supports, environmental accommodations, opportunities for counseling, self-advocacy, and the development of an individual plan incorporating a focus on metacognition and executive functions.
Scrutinizing Common Sense: The Role of Practical Intelligence in Intellectual Giftedness
Authors: Heng Mary Anne
Published: January 2007

Predicated on Sternberg's conception of practical intelligence, this study examined the practical abilities of intellectually gifted adolescents in order to investigate the extent practical abilities relate to academic abilities. Two questionnaires were administered to 296 gifted and mainstream eighth graders from Singapore. Clinical interviews provided insights into students' tacit understanding of self so as to shed some light on practical abilities that may underlie broad notions of success. Results indicated a marginal association between practical and academic abilities and suggest that academically gifted children are no different from mainstream children in the solution of practical problems. Regardless of academic ability, children “high” in practical intelligence displayed a heightened sense of self and a keener awareness of the hidden curriculum and larger goals of school. Beyond academic knowledge, school smartness, and successful adaptation to environments, true common sense must point toward a need to help children reach for a gestalt in making meaning of their lives.
Jermaine: A Critical Case Study of a Gifted Black Child Living in Rural Poverty
Authors: Hébert Thomas P.
Published: January 2007

Gifted students exist in the culture of rural poverty; however, these children often are not identified, and schools fail to provide appropriate educational programs, preventing young people from realizing their potential. In this account of a gifted Black child living in an impoverished rural environment, a university researcher and a classroom teacher collaborated in order to describe a young man's creativity, his resilience, his struggle to find a place for himself in his community, and the significant factors that influenced the early formation of a strong self-identity. The findings of the study offer educators helpful suggestions for identifying and addressing the educational needs of gifted Black children living in rural poverty.
Identifying Artistically Talented Students in Four Rural Communities in the United States
Authors: Clark Gilbert , Zimmerman Enid
Published: January 2007

Project ARTS was designed as a research and development project to identify high-ability, artistically talented third graders from four different ethnic backgrounds in seven rural schools and to implement differentiated arts programs for them. Locally designed identification measures, developed by teachers and community members, were found to be appropriate by teachers and staff if several different measures were used. In research about identification of students for Project ARTS, scores on the Torrance Tests of Creativity, Clark's Drawing Abilities Test, and state achievement tests were found to be correlated. Except at one site, gender was not found to be a significant variable on these tests. It was recommended that local measures, the CDAT, and achievement tests be used to identify artistically talented students in rural communities with populations similar to those in Project ARTS.
DISCOVER: Concurrent Validity, Gender Differences, and Identification of Minority Students
Authors: Sarouphim Ketty M.
Published: January 2007

This study used the Raven Progressive Matrices to examine the concurrent validity of the DISCOVER assessment. It also investigated gender differences. A secondary purpose was to determine the effectiveness of the DISCOVER assessment in reducing the problem of minority students being under-represented in programs for the gifted. The sample consisted of 257 kindergarten, second, fourth, and fifth graders, predominantly Navajo Indians and Mexican Americans. The results provided some evidence for concurrent validity and showed that, through the use of the DISCOVER assessment, 22.9% of minority students were identified as gifted. A MANOVA (gender by grade level) resulted in the absence of significant main effects for both gender and grade, as well as for gender by grade interaction. Chi-square tests revealed no overall significant gender differences in identification. The findings promote the use of the DISCOVER assessment for identification purposes.
A “Rag Quilt”: Social Relationships Among Students in a Special High School
Authors: Coleman Laurence J.
Published: January 2007

The experience of being a gifted student at a public residential high school was studied from the student perspective using ethnographic and phenomenological inquiry. The social system that emerged, one that the students judged as atypical, is described. Contextual factors are presented in an effort to understand the students' experience.
“If I Had a New Notebook, I Know Things Would Change”: Bright Underachieving Young Men in Urban Classrooms
Authors: Hébert Thomas P.
Published: January 2007

Despite a preponderance of research on students who fail academically in urban schools, few studies have examined the academic experience of high-ability students in urban schools, particularly those who do not reach their potential. The study described in this article examined what happens to intelligent urban teenagers when they achieve academically. Through a qualitative research design that integrated case study and ethnographic research, the investigation examined the lives of 6 high-ability males in an inner-city high school to understand how their urban life experiences influenced their underachievement. The 6 cases reported in this study are a subset of 12 cases (Hébert, 1993) that contributed to a larger study (Reis, Hérbert, Diaz, Maxfield, & Ratley, 1995) of talented students in an urban high school. Major findings uncovered in chronicling the lives of 6 underachievers included: inappropriate curricular and counseling experiences, problematic family issues, a negative peer group and environmental influences, and discipline problems. Implications of these findings are presented, as are suggestions for meeting the educational needs of high-ability underachieving young men in urban secondary schools.
Goals, Attention, and Video Game Performance Among Gifted Children
Authors: Blumberg Fran C. , Hollander Brocha , Genovese Julia I.
Published: January 2007

Gifted children's goals for learning on their video game performance and patterns of attention were examined. Before playing a game, second- and fifth-graders were instructed to adopt an evaluative, process, outcome, or no specific goal focus while playing. Children were then asked about the game strategies and game features they attended to while playing. Older children showed better performance overall and their best performance when instructed to adopt an evaluative goal. Younger children showed their worst performance in the same condition. This developmental pattern of findings was reversed among children instructed to adopt an outcome goal. Postgame responses indicated developmental differences in game features, strategies, and evaluative assessments. Most children across both grades made reference to process goals. These findings provide preliminary support for the hypothesis that gifted children's goals for learning impact their performance and attention and that this impact may be influenced by their developmental level.
The Relationship Among Giftedness, Gender, and Overexcitability
Authors: Bouchet Nicole , Falk R. Frank
Published: January 2007

This study examines the relationship among giftedness, gender, and overexcitability. Previous studies examining these relationships were based on an open-ended questionnaire and small samples. This study uses a new self-rating questionnaire to assess overexcitabilities, the Overexcitability Questionnaire II, and findings are based on a large sample of 562 university students. Giftedness was measured by a student's participation in either a gifted, advanced, or standard curriculum program. Results show that previous findings on the relationship between giftedness and overexcitability can be confirmed; gifted students scored significantly higher on intellectual and emotional overexcitability than students in either of the other two programs. Further, males scored higher overall on intellectual, imaginational, and psychomotor overexcitability, while females scored higher on emotional and sensual overexcitability.
Looking Through the Glasses: J. D. Salinger's Wise Children and Gifted Education
Authors: Grant Barry
Published: January 2007

Gifted children are often Big Picture thinkers (Schultz & Delisle, 1997). Even as young children, they may ask profound questions and view life from the perspective of The Most Important Things: meaning, goodness, truth, spirituality, death, and the like. J. D. Salinger's stories about the gifted and precocious Glass children offer a vivid, provocative, and very useful description of a spiritual Big Picture perspective on life. This essay describes the Glasses' spiritual development and draws out implications of their thinking and dilemmas for a critique of gifted education. It suggests that gifted education can adequately address the spiritual life of gifted students and other “Big Picture” perspectives only by becoming concerned with educating gifted children for life.
Using Performance Tasks in the Identification of Economically Disadvantaged and Minority Gifted Learners: Findings From Project STAR
Authors: VanTassel-Baska Joyce , Johnson Dana , Avery Linda D.
Published: January 2007

This paper discusses the rationale for developing performance assessment tasks to augment the identification of more economically disadvantaged and minority students for gifted programs in one state; provides a blue-print for the development protocol, including preteaching, rubrics, and exemplars; and shows major findings for use of the protocol with intended students. The performance assessment tasks were developed and revised based on try-out, pilot, and field test data collected across multiple districts with more than 4,000 students at primary and intermediate grades. Appropriate technical adequacy data were used for decision making on task and rubric revisions. Criterion levels of performance within domains were developed to ensure inclusion of populations of interest without compromising the integrity of the task protocols. The performance assessment tasks of Project STAR resulted in finding an additional group of students who were 12% African American and 14(Y) low-income children dunng the field test of the instrument. These students represent those who would not have qualified for gifted programs using traditional measures. In that sense, the assessment approach yields a “value-added” component to the state identification system. Thus, Project STAR provides an effective and innovative approach to finding more low-SES and minority gifted students for programs.
Socioeconomic Stratification and Its Influences on Talent Development: Some Interdisciplinary Perspectives
Authors: Ambrose Don
Published: January 2007

There is growing concern in our field about the plight of high-potential children who suffer from socioeconomic deprivation. Efforts to find and serve these children require in-depth understanding of socioeconomic contexts that shape and subvert talent development. In this analysis, socioeconomic barriers to talent development are explored from the vantage points of Major thinkers and recent research findings in context-sensitive disciplines such as economics, sociology, and ethical philosophy. Insights drawn fron these perspectives provide the basis for recommendations that educators of the gifted clarify conceptions of merit and ability; look for hidden socioeconomic influences on aspirations, motivation, and talent development; and engage in critical activism for deprived high-potential children.
The Art of Bridge Building: Providing for Gifted Children
Authors: Enersen Donna
Published: January 2007

If your advocacy efforts are in need of revitalization and direction, this case study is required reading. The state organization that is ready to truly make a difference in the way children are educated can take lessons from the initiatives and accomplishments recorded here. Understanding the dedication and detail necessary, reaping the benefits of this state's learning curve, and borrowing the strategies found to be successful will help your own organization's efforts. The analogy of bridge building makes concrete the less-tangible phases of getting a mandate for gifted education. This case study gives the blueprints for preparing those who will construct the mandate. Phase 1 entails educating all about the legislative process, building relationships and affiliate groups, getting technical help, and setting goals and making commitments. Phase 2 encompasses gaining recognition, keeping up the commitment, and learning how to compromise. Phase 3 follows a victory by publicizing the benefits, saying thanks, and developing the regulations. And Phase 4 looks to the future by maintaining relationships and designing a new vision. There are important lessons and a wealth of ideas in this state's story.
Advocacy: “On the Cutting Edge...”
Authors: Hertzog Nancy B.
Published: January 2007

This study details the events and circumstances thatled to the passage of a revised policy on gifted and talented education in one of the largest suburban school districts in the nation. The policy, “All students who are capable of doing so will be provided accelerated and enriched instruction,” is on the cutting edge of refonn initiatives in both general and gifted education. High-end learning opportunities became available for all students who wanted to accept the challenge. This narrative yields insight into the factors that facilitated and impeded the advocacy efforts. The story reveals the importance of key individuals, commitment, tenacity, and the necessity of a system being in place for change to occur and for advocacy events to be successful. Participants wrestled with complex issues and questions that impact the field of gifted education. These issues are raised in the final section of the text.
Custer, South Dakota: “Gifted's” Last Stand
Authors: Kennedy Dorothy M.
Published: January 2007

This article reports on a study designed to identify and describe advocacy factors that were influential in enabling a rural school district to expand its gifted program in the face of greatly dinilshed state-support and a local budget crisis. Parents played a vital role in this event, through both their strong presence at board meetings and hearings and their use of a vaiety of specific advocacy strategies developed over a period of years. The relationships between a loosely structured parent support group, the program coordinator, and the superintendent were also important in obtaining the positive outcome.
Impact of Gifted Programs From the Students' Perspectives
Authors: Hertzog Nancy B.
Published: January 2007

Fifty college students were interviewed about their prior experiences in gifted programs and their perspectives on the impact of these experiences on their lives. Interview questions probed the types of experiences they remembered, including the types of instruction they had, their relations with peers, and their views about how their experiences in gifted programs affected other parts of their lives. Data were analyzed qualitatively with additional topics and themes emerging. In this paper, the author shares their voices and discusses the implications of their reports.
Characteristics of Effective Teachers of Gifted Students: Teacher Background and Personality Styles of Students
Authors: Mills Carol J.
Published: January 2007

This study was designed to explore characteristics of exceptional teachers of gifted students. Participants included 63 teachers and 1,247 highly able students. Teachers responded to 2 measures: a background questionnaire and the Myers Briggs Type Inventory (MBTI), a self-report personality inventory. Students also completed the MBTI. In response to the background questionnaire, the majority of teachers reported holding advanced degrees in a content area; most were not certified to teach and reported completing no formal coursework in gifted education. Results from the MBTI indicated that exemplary teachers were more likely to prefer N (intuition) and T (thinking), as compared to a normative teacher sample. The personality types of teachers were in many ways similar to the personality types of the gifted students. These findings suggest that teachers who are judged to be highly effective in working with gifted students prefer abstract themes and concepts, are open and flexible, and value logical analysis and objectivity. Results suggest that teacher personality and cognitive style may play a role in his or her effectiveness in teaching gifted students.
Barriers to Aspiration Development and Self-Fulfillment: Interdisciplinary Insights for Talent Discovery
Authors: Ambrose Don
Published: January 2007

There is increasing concern about the plight of under-privileged gifted and talented children. Insights from disciplines outside our field can inform educators of the gifted and talented about what hinders talent development among the deprived. A model synthesizing constructs from ethical philosophy, sociology, and education reveals socioeconomic barriers to aspiration development, capacity development, and self-fulfillment. Various hypothetical life trajectories on the model illustrate the influences of these barriers on long-range talent development toward self-fulfillment and either egoistic individualism or relational altruism. Implications for gifted education include the need for more ethical awareness in the field and more realistic appraisals of hindrances to aspiration formation among the deprived.
Social Coping and Psychological Distress Among Chinese Gifted Students in Hong Kong
Authors: Chan David W.
Published: January 2007

This study explored the relationships between social coping and psychological distress in a sample of Chinese students in Hong Kong. These students, nominated by their schools to join university gifted programs, were assessed with respect to their nonverbal IQ (nonverbal reasoning), social coping strategies in response to being gifted, and psychological distress in 5 specific symptom areas. The findings indicated that gender, age, and nonverbal IQ had notable effects on specific social coping strategies. Students’ coping by valuing peer acceptance and coping by attempting avoidance emerged as 2 of the most important social coping strategies predicting specific psychological symptoms. The implications of the findings for preventive interventions to help gifted students in their promotion and maintenance of psychological well-being are discussed.
Korean Teachers’ Attitudes Toward Academic Brilliance
Authors: Lee Seon-Young , Cramond Bonnie , Lee Jongyeun
Published: January 2007

This is a replication of a study designed by Tannenbaum (1962) and repeated by Cramond and Martin (1987) measuring U.S. attitudes toward intelligence by having respondents rate 8 hypothetical students who varied in their combinations of athleticism, effort, and academic ability. This study investigated 132 Korean preservice and in-service teachers’ attitudes on the same measure. Both Korean teacher groups favored athleticism and nonstudiousness over academic brilliance and showed a gender bias by designating their preferred characters as boys more often. The least favored character was the academically brilliant, studious, nonathletic student—often considered traditionally gifted—and usually designated as a girl. The anti-intellectualism, sport-mindedness, and gender bias in the present study’s Korean participants was similar to that found in the American samples. These results suggest a need for better teacher training and understanding of gifted students. This study is important because it reminds us of future and current teachers’ views of gifted students, especially in Korea, where gifted education is now being initiated. Also, it demonstrates the ubiquitous nature of anti-intellectualism, even in a country considered to value academics.
A Case Study of a Child With Dyslexia and Spatial-Temporal Gifts
Authors: Cooper Eileen E. , Ness Maryann , Smith Mary
Published: January 2007

This case study details the history and K-5 school experience of a boy with dyslexia and spatial-temporal gifts. It describes assessment, evaluation, and identification procedures; the learning specialist’s interventions and program; the critical role of the parent; and the services provided by the gifted program. Specific interventions are described for both remediating dyslexia and supporting the spatial-temporal gift. A literature review of dual exceptionalities is included and suggests that mathematical difficulties be included in the definition of dyslexia. A definition of spatial-temporal intelligence provides an understanding of 4-dimensional space-time.
Toward the Development of a Conceptualization of Gifted Motivation
Authors: Gottfried Adele Eskeles , Gottfried Allen W.
Published: January 2007

Whereas perspectives on giftedness have included motivation as a construct related to giftedness, the proposed conceptualization advances a new view that motivation is an area of giftedness in and of itself. Academic intrinsic motivation (i.e., enjoyment of school learning) is the domain focused upon in this conceptualization inasmuch as it has inherent ties to cognition, gifted intellect, and achievement. Research supports the following criteria, advanced as a beginning effort toward the development of a conceptualization of a gifted motivation construct: (a) significantly higher academic intrinsic motivation is evidenced by intellectually gifted compared to their comparison cohort; (b) academic intrinsic motivation is significantly, positively, and uniquely related to academic achievement above and beyond IQ; (c) academic intrinsic motivation evidences substantial continuity from childhood through adolescence; and (d) environment is significantly related to academic intrinsic motivation. The construct of gifted motivation serves heuristic purposes to advance further inquiry and also has implications regarding the development and implementation of giftedness programs. Suggestions are made regarding research needed for further development of a gifted motivation construct.
Cognitive and Motivational Characteristics of Adolescents Gifted in Mathematics: Comparisons Among Students With Different Types of Giftedness
Authors: Hong Eunsook , Aqui Yvette
Published: January 2007

Although numerous studies have compared cognitive and motivational characteristics between gifted versus nongifted students, research comparing those characteristics among different types of gifted students has not kept up with the theoretical development that saw a transition from unidimensional to multidimensional conceptualizations of giftedness. This study compares cognitive and motivational characteristics of high school students who are academically gifted in math, creatively talented in math, and nongifted. Whereas no differences were found among the three groups in their beliefs about ability, most of the other characteristics examined in the study distinguished the three groups. Academically gifted female students reported expending more effort than did academically gifted male students. Creatively talented males put forth more effort than academically gifted males, and the creatively talented in general used more cognitive strategies than the academically gifted. Overall, students who were either academically gifted or creatively talented in mathematics perceived that they were self-efficacious in general, used cognitive strategies, perceived their math ability and math self-efficacy to be high, and valued learning math more so than their nongifted age peers.
Parenting Styles and Mental Health of Arab Gifted Adolescents
Authors: Dwairy Marwan
Published: January 2007

This study examined the parental styles and psychosocial adjustment of adolescents and the relationship between them in gifted as compared to nongifted Arab adolescents. Five scales—The Parental Authority Questionnaire, Child Attitude Toward Parents, Lipsitt’s Self-Concept Scale for Children, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and The Psychological State Scale—were administered to 118 gifted and 115 nongifted Arab adolescents in Israel. Results indicate that parents of gifted adolescents tend to be more authoritative and less authoritarian than parents of nongifted adolescents. The attitudes of the gifted adolescents toward their parents were more positive than those of the nongifted adolescents. The gifted displayed higher self-esteem and fewer identity disorders, phobias, and conduct disorders than the nongifted adolescents. The authoritative parental style correlates positively with the mental health of both gifted and nongifted adolescents, while the authoritarian parenting style impacts negatively on the mental health of the gifted, but not of the nongifted adolescents. The study results indicate that the authoritarian parenting style is a crucial factor that influences the well-being of gifted children and may affect their psychological adjustment. More studies are needed among gifted underachievers and among eminent talented Arab writers and artists.
Reading Instruction for Talented Readers: Case Studies Documenting Few Opportunities for Continuous Progress
Authors: Reis Sally M. , Gubbins E. Jean , Briggs Christine J. , Schreiber Fredric J. , Richards Susannah , Jacobs Joan K. , Eckert Rebecca D. , Renzulli Joseph S.
Published: January 2007

In this study, a team of researchers conducted multiple observations in 12 third- and seventh-grade reading classrooms in both urban and suburban school districts over a 9-month period. These observations focused on whether talented readers received differentiated reading curriculum and/or instructional strategies. Talented readers were defined as students reading at least two grades above their chronological grade placement who also had advanced language skills and advanced processing capabilities in reading. Results indicated that talented readers received some differentiated reading instruction in 3 of the 12 classrooms. In the other nine classrooms, no challenging reading material or advanced instruction was provided for these students during regular classroom reading instruction. Appropriately challenging books were seldom made available for talented students in their classrooms, and they were rarely provided with more challenging work. Different patterns did emerge across districts. For example, the three classroom teachers who did provide some level of differentiation all taught in suburban schools.
An Instrument for the Measure of Dabrowskian Overexcitabilities to Identify Gifted Elementary Students
Authors: Bouchard Lorraine L.
Published: January 2007

The ElemenOE is a Likert-scaled observation checklist developed in this study to measure 5 personality characteristics in elementary school children, with predictive validity for identifying giftedness. The characteristics, named “overexcitabilities,” are described within the context of Dabrowski’s Theory of Positive Disintegration. Five scholars of Dabrowski’s theory rated an initial 100 items for content validity. The 61 strongest items comprised the pilot instrument, which teachers used to describe 373 students. Exploratory factor analysis using varimax rotation found factors that related to the 5 OEs. Items with loadings of less than .5 were eliminated, thus creating the 30-item ElemenOE. Teachers used the ElemenOE to describe 171 gifted and nonidentified children. A discriminant analysis yielded one function that significantly discriminated between groups. The ElemenOE classified 76% of gifted students and 42% of nonidentified students as having similar OE profiles. These results indicate that, with revisions, the ElemenOE may be useful in identifying gifted students who are missed by traditional identification measures.
Investigation of High School Credit and Placement for Summer Coursework Taken Outside of Local Schools
Authors: Lee Seon-Young , Olszewski-Kubilius Paula
Published: January 2007

This study examined how local schools responded to students’ outside-of-school summer courses, particularly regarding the awarding of credit and appropriate placement. It involved 262 middle and high school administrators of students who had attended a gifted summer program at a local university. Survey data showed the critical influence of the school’s policies on granting credit for outside-of-school coursework and institutional accreditation on the school’s responses. For high schools, territory or administrative issues such as the school’s own policy on credit, prior notice of a student’s participation in the program, sharing outside-of-school course syllabi with school officials in advance, the type of course, and accreditation of the summer program were crucial in decisions regarding the awarding of credit. For middle schools, the school’s own evaluation of a student’s mastery of the course content, prior notice of the student’s participation in the program, and the student’s performance in the outside-of-school course were the most significant factors that affected schools’ responses regarding appropriate placement. Findings showed that schools’ responses were conservative and that parents need to petition more actively for credit or placement for their children.
Assumptions Underlying the Identification of Gifted and Talented Students
Authors: Brown Scott W. , Renzulli Joseph S. , Gubbins E. Jean , Siegle Del , Zhang Wanli , Chen Ching-Hui
Published: January 2007

This study examined a national sample of classroom teachers, teachers of the gifted, administrators, and consultants from rural, suburban, and urban areas regarding their assumptions about the gifted identification process. Respondents indicated the degree to which they agreed or disagreed with 20 items that reflected guidelines for a comprehensive identification system. Five factors were derived from 20 items. Respondents favored the use of individual expression criteria, ongoing assessment, multiple criteria for identification, and consideration of contextual factors. Teachers of the gifted and respondents from urban areas were more likely to favor these strategies. The sample opposed restricting identification to the sole use of achievement or IQ scores.
The Creative Personality
Authors: Selby Edwin C. , Shaw Emily J. , Houtz John C.
Published: January 2007

The study of the creative personality has established itself as a major avenue of research on creativity and creative problem solving, other areas being creative process, product, and environment (or press). With respect to personality research, over the past 50-plus years, many studies have examined characteristics, attitudes, preferences, styles, and other personal qualities that appear to distinguish highly creative individuals. The purposes of this article are to review the accumulated body of creative personality research; describe the works of a few major researchers and their methods; briefly review theories that have been offered to explain why these personal qualities are causes, correlates, and/or outcomes of the creative process; and examine the relatively new construct of creative and problem-solving styles. Style assessment builds upon traditional personality research but holds substantial promise for talent identification and development for all individuals, not just those recognized as creatively gifted.
A Reexamination of Brainstorming Research: Implications for Research and Practice
Authors: Isaksen Scott G. , Gaulin John P.
Published: January 2007

Brainstorming may be the best-known tool for group idea generation and is widely taught in gifted and talented programs. Many empirical studies have been conducted regarding the effectiveness of brainstorming, and they have provided useful insights into the salient barriers facing groups who use this tool. Although a great deal of this literature focuses on the limitations of brainstorming, the exploratory study included in this article sheds light on approaches that can enhance the value of this tool by examining the impact of the facilitator’s role within group idea generation. Finally, this article outlines recommendations for teaching, learning, and applying brainstorming.
Creative Problem Solving: The History, Development, and Implications for Gifted Education and Talent Development
Authors: Treffinger Donald J. , Isaksen Scott G.
Published: January 2007

This article presents a summary of research, development, and applications of Creative Problem Solving (CPS) in educational settings and, more specifically, in gifted education. The CPS framework is widely known and applied as one important goal in contemporary gifted education, as well as in relation to initiatives for “teaching thinking” in the broader context of general education. This article traces the history and evolution of the CPS framework through more than five decades of research, development, and practical application. We describe and discuss the specific changes in the model over time, as well as their rationale and foundations. We discuss the implications of changes within the CPS framework for teaching and learning; our purpose is not to compare or contrast CPS with other perspectives on creativity from psychology, cognitive science, or management. Finally, we present implications of contemporary CPS for instruction and assessment in gifted education.
WISC-III Verbal/Performance Discrepancies Among a Sample of Gifted Children
Authors: Sweetland John D. , Reina Jacqueline M. , Tatti Anne F.
Published: January 2007

The cognitive profiles of 161 gifted children—those with a Full Scale, Verbal, and/or Performance IQ of 130 or higher on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Third Edition (WISC-III; Wechsler, 1991)—were examined. It was hypothesized that this population of very intelligent children would demonstrate much larger Verbal-Performance discrepancies than are reported in the WISC-III manual. The hypothesis was confirmed, and a table reporting Verbal-Performance discrepancies established that very large discrepancies are typical for this population. The implications of these results are discussed, as well as the limitations of the study, particularly as it pertains to the limitations of the sample.
Breaking Through Assumptions About Low-Income, Minority Gifted Students
Authors: Swanson Julie Dingle
Published: January 2007

This article describes Project Breakthrough, federally funded as a demonstration through the Javits Gifted and Talented Education Act. Project staff worked for 3 years with three elementary schools in South Carolina to train teachers in the use of language arts and science curriculum developed by the Center for Gifted Education at the College of William and Mary. Teachers implemented the William and Mary units and several of the teaching models used in the units with all students. Goals included (a) improved performance of low-, average-, and high-achieving students in mathematics, science, and language arts; and (b) identification of more low-income gifted students. The article reports on the nature of the project, its implementation, and the results that point to changes in teachers’ perceptions of students’ abilities and of improved student achievement.
The Relationship Between Classroom Environment and the Learning Style Preferences of Gifted Middle School Students and the Impact on Levels of Performance
Authors: Rayneri Letty J. , Gerber Brian L. , Wiley Larry P.
Published: January 2007

Inconsistent performance by gifted students has been a source of frustration for both parents and educators for decades. Several studies on gifted underachievement point to a connection between student learning styles and classroom performance. This study examined the learning styles of gifted middle school students, student perceptions of the classroom environment, and possible connections between learning style, classroom environment, and achievement levels. Eighty gifted students from grades 6, 7, and 8 were administered the Learning Style Inventory (LSI) to identify student learning style preferences. They were also administered the Student Perception Inventory (SPI), developed for the study, in order to determine perceptions of these learning style elements in their classroom environments. Results indicated that the LSI elements of persistence and lighting correlated with achievement in all content areas. Additionally, correlations between higher grade point averages (GPA) and LSI preferences for responsibility and teacher motivation were found in science and math classes. Results of the SPI revealed a correlation between higher grade point averages in social studies and science classrooms and the following items: persistence; motivation; and auditory, tactile, and kinesthetic modalities. All subject areas showed a correlation between higher GPA and the students’ perceived level of persistence.
A Study of Well-Being and School Satisfaction Among Academically Talented Students Attending a Science High School in Korea
Authors: Jin Suk-Un , Moon Sidney M.
Published: January 2007

The purpose of this study was to examine whether academically talented adolescents attending a residential science high school in Korea had different levels of psychological well-being or school life satisfaction than their high-ability peers in regular high schools. The participating high-ability students ( n = 299) were in their second year of high school and were attending either a science high school ( n = 111) or a regular high school ( n = 188) in the same province in Korea. Both groups completed the Psychological Well Being scales (Ryff, 1989a) and a researcher-constructed Satisfaction With School Life scale. In addition, the science high school students responded to open-ended questions about their experiences in the science high school. No statistically significant differences were found in psychological well-being, but there were statistically significant differences in school life satisfaction favoring the science high school group. The responses of the science high school sample to the open-ended questions indicated that they appreciated the advanced curriculum and the expertise of their teachers. They also reported satisfactory relationships with teachers and peers. Overall, the study suggested that the residential science high school was meeting the educational needs of these talented Korean students, at least better than traditional high schools. However, this study could not confirm its primary expectation that the specialized schooling for gifted students would enhance psychological well-being. Implications of the study for research and practice are discussed.
Suicide Ideation and Personality Characteristics Among Gifted Adolescents
Authors: Cross Tracy L. , Cassady Jerrell C. , Miller Kimberly A.
Published: January 2007

This study describes psychological characteristics of gifted adolescents. It also identifies the relationships between psychological personality types and suicide ideation. Participants in the study were 152 juniors enrolled in a public residential high school for academically gifted students. The Suicide Ideation Questionnaire, a 30-item self-report measure, was used to assess adolescent levels of suicide ideation. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI; Myers, 1962), a widely used measure of psychological type that contrasts four dimensions of personality—extra-version (E)/introversion (I), sensing (S)/intuition (N), thinking (T)/feeling (F), and judging (J)/perceiving (P)—was used to determine personality types of the students.

The results indicated that gifted adolescents did not exhibit heightened rates of suicide ideation as compared to their nongifted peers. However, female students held higher levels of suicide ideation than male students. Female students exhibiting introversion-perceiving (IP) types held higher levels of suicide ideation than those with other types. There was a significant between-groups effect for the judging-perceiving analysis. Students identified as perceiving personality types held higher levels of suicide ideation than those with the judging personality type. Gender, judging/perceiving, and extraversion/introversion combined to reliably predict approximately 18% of the variance in suicide ideation in this sample.
Perceived Multiple Intelligences Among Male and Female Chinese Gifted Students in Hong Kong: The Structure of the Student Multiple Intelligences Profile
Authors: Chan David W.
Published: January 2007

This study examined the structure of perceived multiple intelligences of 1,464 Chinese gifted students using the Student Multiple Intelligences Profile. To evaluate whether perceived multiple intelligences could be applied adequately across boys and girls, a model hypothesizing different degrees of equivalence across the two gender groups was tested using multigroup confirmatory factor analysis. The results indicated that the structure of perceived multiple intelligences, which included the number and nature of dimensions, as well as the structural relationships among the 8 intelligences assessed, was largely similar for boys and girls. Subsequent second-order confirmatory factor analyses separately conducted for boys and for girls suggested that both boys and girls might perceive the 8 intelligences as falling into either the broad category of personal intelligences or one of the nonpersonal intelligences. Implications of the findings including subtle differences in the perceived strengths on the 8 individual intelligences by boys and girls are discussed.
The State of Qualitative Research in Gifted Education as Published in American Journals
Authors: Coleman Laurence J. , Guo Aige , Dabbs Charlotte Simms
Published: January 2007

As qualitative research has become a more familiar form of inquiry in gifted education, judging its quality and value remains obscure and problematic to the field. This article analyzes and critiques published studies for the purpose of understanding the state of qualitative research in gifted education. Data for this study are from the major American gifted education journals. Publications between 1985 and 2003 are surveyed, electronically and manually, to form the pool of 124 qualitative studies. Each study is summarized, analyzed, categorized, and evaluated based on the attributes of qualitative research. Of the original pool, 40 are consistent with the qualitative paradigm; others are judged as qualitative lite or examples of quantitative research. Exemplars of quality studies are presented as referents for readers to further their understanding and investigation of the quality and value of qualitative research.
The Gifted Rating Scales-School Form
Authors: Pfeiffer Steven I. , Jarosewich Tania
Published: January 2007

This study analyzes the standardization sample of a new teacher rating scale designed to assist in the identification of gifted students. The Gifted Rating Scales–School Form (GRS-S) is based on a multidimensional model of giftedness. Results indicate no age or race/ethnicity differences on any of the scales and small but significant differences in favor of females on three of the six scales: Artistic Ability, Motivation, and Leadership Ability. Diagnostic efficiency statistics and receiver operating curve analysis support the validity of the Intellectual Ability scale in identifying intellectually gifted students. The Intellectual Ability scale was successful in both correctly identifying students with high IQ scores (test sensitivity) and correctly identifying students without high IQ scores (test specificity). The present findings extend the analysis of the standardization sample reported in the test manual and provide additional support for the psychometric qualities of the GRS-S as a valid gifted screening tool.
Theories and the Good: Toward Child-Centered Gifted Education
Authors: Grant Barry A. , Piechowski Michael M.
Published: January 2007

Educators tend to look to theories for ideas on how to educate gifted children. Theories are, however, not value-neutral explanations, but complex attempts to serve human goals that contain values and ideas for action, as well as explanations. When there is a disjunction between a theory and ideas about what is good for gifted children, the latter should be our guide. The most important value in gifted education, we argue, should be child-centeredness. Theories can serve this value by helping us to understand the perspective of a gifted child. Most models and theories (Maslow's and Dabrowski's being the primary exceptions) address the conditions that promote gifted achievement and do not illuminate the inner life of gifted children. And yet, the pressure to achieve often has negative consequences for the emotional well-being, of the childs. Roeper's education for self-actualization and interdependence offers an approach to gifted education that respects the inner life of gifted children and assists the mine finding their own Way in life.