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This study examined Finnish eighth graders’ (N = 1136) educational aspirations and how those can be predicted by mindsets, academic achievement, and gender. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were conducted to investigate how two mindset constructs (intelligence and giftedness), domain-specific academic performance (mathematics and reading), and gender relate to students’ educational aspirations on three levels (academic, vocational, and unknown). The growth mindset about giftedness was found to predict unknown aspirations, whereas the growth mindset about intelligence did not predict educational aspirations. High performance in math predicted students’ academic aspirations, but performance in reading did not predict educational aspirations. Gender-related differences were found, as boys seem to have vocational aspirations, but the effect did not penetrate all schools. Lastly, students’ aspirations differed between schools: from some schools, students are more likely to apply to university, while from other schools, students are more likely to apply to vocational education. Overall, the study demonstrated that a growth mindset does not directly predict academic aspirations, and the relationship between implicit beliefs and educational outcomes might be more complex than suggested. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

Accurate assessment and early identification of gifted children is of great importance in terms of providing them with educational programs tailored for their abilities in specific areas. Individually administered intelligence tests are widely used to identify gifted children, and an above-average level of intellectual capacity is generally accepted as the main criterion for giftedness. This study aimed to investigate the utility of the Turkish version of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition (WISC-IV) to distinguish gifted children from non-gifted children. For this purpose, 201 gifted children and 201 non-gifted children were included in the study. To be able to determine the predictive power of the WISC-IV index and subtest scores, logistic regression analyses were performed. Results indicated that the Perceptual Reasoning Index, Working Memory Index, and Processing Speed Index scores (except Verbal Comprehension Index score), and all subtest scores significantly predicted giftedness. Furthermore, correct classification rates among gifted children were 93% for index scores and 97% for subtest scores. The findings of this study suggest that intelligence scores obtained from the WISC-IV have a diagnostic utility and provide valid and reliable results in identifying gifted children. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

For more than 90 years, terminology related to giftedness in Brazil has evolved, proliferating terms used to describe gifted individuals. Terms such as superdotado (the common translation of gifted into Portuguese) may lead lay people to think of gifted students as only those with extremely high ability or extraordinary capabilities and is often used in a way that carries a negative connotation. On the other hand, terms such as high ability student, which is associated with academics, and talented, which suggests artistic endeavors, may not capture the full range of possible areas in which a student can be gifted. We argue that because terminology is important and can influence policy and practice, it is crucial to have clear definitions, but it is even more important to go beyond terms to clarify the phenomenon of giftedness, disseminate relevant research, and inform parents of gifted students and professionals working with these students. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

To determine if a person is gifted or not, the government sets the criteria of identification since giftedness is an abstract concept. However, the standard has always been decided and affected by the attitudes of the education authority and the allocation of resources. The opportunities for some potential learners to participate in gifted programs are often closed because of high identification criteria on standardized tests, especially intelligence tests. To bridge the achievement and the opportunity gaps between regular and gifted students with disabilities or different cultural backgrounds, educators are encouraged to apply the talent development model to develop hidden potential rather than focus on identification or labeling students as “gifted.” Every child is unique and has strengths and weakness. It is time to change the rigid concept of giftedness and expand the concept to discover multiple talents. The most important aspect is no longer defining intelligence merely as g or IQ. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

Recent studies have demonstrated the strong influence emotions have on the holistic growth of children with conventional development. Moreover, there is an increasing body of evidence suggesting that the affective-emotional component could play a major role in the cognitive and psychological wellbeing of children and adolescents with nonstandard development or atypical skills. In this regard, in the current opinion article we discuss the likelihood that the affective-emotional component is one of the definitory elements of gifted children and teenagers showing high intellectual capacities. While some authors claim that intellectual giftedness is associated with strong social-emotional capacities and relate high intellectual ability with the acquisition and development of techniques to compensate for potential psycho-social issues, other authors suggest that gifted children are potentially more vulnerable and have additional social-emotional needs as compared with their peers. The current uncertainty in the literature is a barrier to adequately inform and orient psychological and educational actions, and empirical data is required to fully comprehend the genuine meaning of giftedness and its relationship with emotional processing. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

Intellectual giftedness is commonly associated with a high level of intellectual functioning, an identification process whereby individuals are labeled as gifted, and adjustments in schools such as grade skipping. During adolescence, all these factors are prone to reduce peer connectedness and school life satisfaction. The aim of the present study was to disentangle the effects of these factors in a sample of 492 sixth and 10th graders. We identified three subsamples based on different characteristics associated with giftedness: students previously identified as gifted ( n = 66), students who scored in the top 10% on a general intelligence test ( n = 49), and students who had skipped a grade ( n = 57). Comparative analysis showed that none of these subsamples differed from their respective control groups on school life satisfaction. Students labeled as gifted reported a lower level of peer connectedness, and the latter's contribution to school life satisfaction was significantly stronger within this subsample. These results underscore the importance of social integration for adolescents identified as intellectually gifted and exclude grade skipping as a risk factor. Moreover, high intellectual level does not seem to impact either school life satisfaction or peer connectedness. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

Bruce M. Shore’s research contributions in gifted education have focused on three contexts that impact how giftedness is understood and the instructional environments that serve gifted learners’ educational needs. This article describes these contributions and provides selected examples plus a more complete Supplemental Online bibliography. First, giftedness benefits from being conceptualized in terms of theories that address the development of expertise. Featured expert– gifted parallels include interconnectedness of knowledge, metacognitive processes, perspective taking, active learner roles, affinity for novelty and complexity, and task representation and planning. Illustrative research is described from preschool age through higher education, including connections to creativity research. Second, gifted education benefits when guided by social-constructivist theory of education and its expression in inquiry-based instruction. Examples include building upon learner interests, question asking, collaborative inquiry, and active learner roles. Desirable specific instructional practices are framed by the above theories and by being considered in the contexts of widely recommended and best practices with their research support. Third, gifted education, at all levels including higher education and teacher education, needs to be an integral part of the context of general education. Most specific gifted education practices also work in general education, including learning high-level skills within subject matter. Nineteen examples are cited about how gifted education contributes to the quality of general education. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

Our study revolves around the concept of giftedness and the various factors that influence it, in a socio–historical and current context, following the definition of the phenomenon from ancient cultures to the present day, the consequences of its existence, its measurement possibilities and development. We explain the impact of intelligence, creativity, motivation, performance needs and other factors, how these processes and skills contribute (or not) to the development of giftedness. In the end, we will talk about a group of talents-the twice-exceptional talents -who need a great deal of help in getting their skills to the surface and consolidating in the most effective way. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract) Resumen en idioma originalTanulmányunk a tehetség és az azt befolyásoló, különböző tényezők koncepcióját járja körül társadalmi-történelmi és aktuális keretek között, az ősi kultúráktól napjainkig követve a jelenség definiálását, meglétének következményeit, mérésének lehetőségeit és fejlődését. Kifejtjük az intelligencia, a kreativitás, a motiváció, a teljesítményigény és egyéb, más tényezők hatását, azt, hogy e folyamatok, képességek hogyan, miben járulnak hozzá (vagy nem) a tehetség kibontakozásához. Végezetül pedig szót ejtünk egy olyan tehetségcsoportról – kétszeresen kivételesek –, akik különösen nagy segítséget igényelnek abban, hogy képességeik a leghatékonyabb módon jöjjenek felszínre és szilárduljanak meg. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

The problem of culturally, linguistically, and economically diverse (CLED) student underrepresentation in gifted programs demonstrates a need to examine systemic processes, including the building of systemic capacity at the district and school levels where policies for gifted programs are formed and implemented. To examine the effects of this process on one diverse district’s gifted identification and services, we conducted 10 focus group interviews with 61 participants including gifted coordinators, teacher leaders, and gifted facilitators in the middle of a district initiative aimed at improving equitable identification and services in its gifted program. Data were analyzed using the six-phase approach of Thematic Analysis, which included (1) familiarization, (2) coding, (3) searching for themes, (4) reviewing themes, (5) defining and naming themes, and then (6) writing our report. Three overarching themes emerged from the in-depth analysis: (1) building systemic capacity, (2) shifting conceptions of giftedness, and (3) equitable identification practices and inclusive programming. Findings indicated the importance of systemic capacity building in teachers for improved CLED student identification into gifted programs and services. Essentially, building systemic capacity and shifting conceptions of giftedness share a reciprocal relationship in leading to more equitable gifted identification practices and inclusive programming. Moreover, implementing flexible and nuanced policy that takes into consideration school climate and culture is critical to building systemic capacity while working toward goals of equity. Recommendations are provided for researchers and practitioners based on these major findings. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

The identification of students for participation in gifted education programs has traditionally involved the use of some combination of cognitive ability measures and teacher recommendations. Research has demonstrated that these approaches may limit the participation of students from diverse ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. In order to address this issue, efforts have been made to develop assessments and techniques that are more equitable for all students. The current study was focused on the development of a scale based on parental descriptions of aspects giftedness displayed by their child. Topic-modeling via latent dirichlet analysis was used to extract themes from 13 written responses by parents. The topics were then used in a nonlinear principal components analysis to develop a scale score. Evidence for validity was then investigated for these scores in a variety of ways. Results demonstrated that scores differed between student groups as expected, and correlations with other measures associated with giftedness were in the expected direction and magnitude. Implications and utility of this scale are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

This paper examines giftedness and gifted education from the point of view of humanistic ethical critique. While religious worldviews may conceptualize individual talent as something that human beings have received (as a “gift”) from God or (more generally) from a divine world-order, secular humanism may also implicitly presuppose a quasi-theological understanding of giftedness as something for which we might be expected to maintain a proper attitude of gratitude. Drawing on humanistic sources ranging from Hannah Arendt’s concept of natality, Richard Rorty’s pragmatist challenge to the idea of human “answerability” to the world, and Primo Levi’s ethical criticism (in the context of his Holocaust writings) of the notion of providence, the paper argues that developing an appropriate stance toward whatever gifts and talents individuals may have is a matter of continuous ethical self-reflection that needs to be incorporated in gifted education. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

This work systematically reviewed past literature to investigate the association between intellectual giftedness and socio-emotional and/or behavioral disorders. Nineteen studies met the inclusion criteria, 17 of which have children and/or adolescents as participants, and 12 have a non-gifted control group. Socio-emotional problems, such as withdrawal, were found in 3 out of 8 studies; internalizing disorders, such as anxiety, were found in 5 out of 9; externalizing disorders, such as hyperactivity, were found in 3 out of 5. The most investigated comorbidity was attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. A univocal conclusion on the relationship between intellectual giftedness and socio-emotional/behavioral problems cannot be drawn, principally because of the heterogeneity of participants’ age, informants, and instruments. The review highlights the need for future studies to use multi-informant and comprehensive assessments, to reach more robust findings, and suggests that age and discrepancy between verbal and non-verbal intellectual abilities should be considered critical factors. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

The assessment of intellectual giftedness is often based on intelligence tests. In order to estimate the consistencies of the identification of intellectually gifted adolescents with three different intelligence tests, a sample of 9 th graders ( N = 562) worked on three conceptually similar intelligence tests assessing figural reasoning. The correlations of the three intelligence tests were of medium to high effect size. Regarding the interpretation of the diagnostic results, the diagnostic conclusion (“gifted” or “not-gifted”) based on the different test results was only partially consistent. The implications of the results are discussed regarding the relevance of test-specific diagnoses of intellectual giftedness. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract) Resumen en idioma originalIm Zuge einer Diagnostik intellektueller Hochbegabung werden zumeist Intelligenztests eingesetzt. Um abzuschätzen, inwieweit das diagnostische Fazit („hochbegabt“ vs. „nicht hochbegabt“) bei der Verwendung mehrerer Intelligenztests vom spezifisch eingesetzten Intelligenztest abhängt, wurden die korrelativen und klassifikatorischen Übereinstimmungen von drei konzeptionell ähnlichen Testverfahren zum figuralen reasoning (CFT 20-R, KFT-N, SPM) anhand einer größeren Stichprobe ( N = 562; 9. Klassenstufe) ermittelt. Trotz mindestens mittelhoher Testinterkorrelationen stimmte das diagnostische Fazit „hochbegabt“ nur zum Teil überein. Insbesondere die Implikationen für die diagnostische Praxis werden diskutiert. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

Creativity, giftedness, and leadership are complex, important phenomena, especially in the threatening turbulence of 21st-century conditions; consequently, there is an increasing need to understand how to strengthen them. We can learn much about these phenomena from within the borders of specialized disciplines; however, they are too complex and multifaceted to fit within the walls of disciplinary silos. Interdisciplinary explorations can reveal theories and research findings that expand our knowledge bases about creativity, giftedness, and leadership. This analysis includes the rationale for engaging in interdisciplinary investigations for these purposes. It includes examples of the ways in which interdisciplinary thinking invigorates creativity and cognitive diversity; illuminates the benefits of visual–spatial gifts that strengthen the development of important talents in gifted students who can go on to become creative leaders; and shows how human rights can be strengthened by constraining economic and political corruption. It also describes the benefits of using interdisciplinary navigation through different levels of analysis, each of which includes a number of academic disciplines. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

Ghana is a rapidly developing West African country whose goal is to build a prosperous economy reliant on innovation and technology. Identifying and developing talent in the school system will play a role in achieving this goal; however, there is limited research on the status of gifted education and talent development in Ghana. This study investigated ten Junior High school mathematics and science teachers’ beliefs about giftedness and the strategies they proposed to develop gifted students’ potential into talent. The study drew on data from semi-structured interviews and lesson plans. The findings revealed that teachers had scant knowledge about giftedness and appropriate gifted education strategies. Respondents misconstrued differentiation and acceleration strategies and disregarded their use in developing the gifted. The study highlights the need for the development of a formal policy on gifted education, and the implementation of teacher education programmes that address teachers’ beliefs and knowledge about the gifted and gifted education strategies. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

The actiotope model of giftedness (AMG) highlights the interactions between the individual and the environment. Educational and learning capital (ELC) are essential resources that promote the development of excellence. The study objectives were to examine the contribution of educational capital (EC), learning capital (LC), and general intelligence (GI) to scholastic achievements (SA) of school age students, and to examine whether the effect of EC on GI and SA is mediated by LC. Two hundred, fifth grade, students completed GI and mathematical achievement tests. Teachers completed the teacher’s checklist for each student participant and students’ school grades in mathematics, science, language, and English were collected. Results demonstrated that GI, EC, and LC contributed, altogether, 80% to the prediction of SA, the contribution of LC being higher. Moreover, contribution of EC to SA was mediated by LC. The study corroborates the AMG by demonstrating that both the environment and the individual control the ability to reach excellence and giftedness. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

Stereotypes influence teachers’ perception of and behaviour towards students, thus shaping students’ learning opportunities. The present study investigated how 315 Australian pre-service teachers’ stereotypes about giftedness and gender are related to their perception of students’ intellectual ability, adjustment, and social-emotional ability, using an experimental vignette approach and controlling for social desirability in pre-service teachers’ responses. Repeated-measures ANOVA showed that pre-service teachers associated giftedness with higher intellectual ability, but with less adjustment compared to average-ability students. Furthermore, pre-service teachers perceived male students as less socially and emotionally competent and less adjusted than female students. Additionally, pre-service teachers seemed to perceive female average-ability students’ adjustment as most favourable compared to male average-ability students and gifted students. Findings point to discrepancies between actual characteristics of gifted female and male students and stereotypes in teachers’ beliefs. Consequences of stereotyping and implications for teacher education are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

This article presents a commentary on the 21 st-century perspectives on the special issue on Rethinking Human Potential for the Journal for the Education of the Gifted. This special issue can be seen as another effort to help the field find a set of assumptions about the nature of giftedness to guide its practices in the 21 st century. The fact that this special issue focuses on “human potential” and not giftedness and/ or talent immediately tells us that very broad issues will be examined, that big questions will be posed, and that the possible answers to these questions may shake the foundations of the established field. Indeed, that may be the goal of this special issue. The contributors all give credit to the century of work in the field that preceded them and see their efforts as building on the valued work of their predecessor. This special issue honors Howard Gardner’s work and its impact on education, including education of the gifted. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)

Rather than considering human potential in terms of an unrealized desired state, what if we framed it as gaining momentum in worthy long-term pursuits? This conceptual article, integrating ideas and findings from several scholarly literatures, explores how life purpose can serve as a meaningful, intentional guide for individuals, especially youth, to direct their other potentials into prosocial contributions to society. The argument (a) considers life purpose itself as a form of intrapersonal giftedness different from academic giftedness; (b) describes how life purpose could include distinctions of further potentials: coherence among purpose dimensions, influence on different life domains, reach of others impacted by the youths’ contributions, emphasis to change society, and precocious emergence of purpose’s dimensions and distinctions; and (c) muses how life purpose’s directing of other potentials might become a potential that could be realized by all youth. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

Courage may be the most important gift of all. It is not something we are born with. It is not something that, for the most part, we learn in school. Rather, it is a choice that anyone can make—if they are willing to pay the price. This article discusses the gift of courage. It discusses what courage is, why it is important, and why it crucially needs to be incorporated into contemporary discourse about giftedness. It is courage, perhaps more than any other form of giftedness, that will determine what this world becomes—or does not become. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)