Su búsqueda

This case study research was designed to examine the referral process for Washington Gifted Middle School in Peoria Public School District 150 in Peoria, Illinois. The purpose was to determine if perceptions of fourth wade classroom teachers who recommended students to the school were a contributing factor in the disproportionate number of African American students attending the gifted school. The participants were 50 fourth grade teachers in the district who completed the Teachers' Perception of Giftedness Survey (Houghton, 1994) adapted for this study. The survey instrument consisted of three sections. Section 1 included 30 items on a six-point Likert scale that were commonly accepted characteristics of giftedness, characteristics of African American giftedness, and distracters. Numbers were assigned to the ratings to compute the mean, median, and standard deviations. Section II consisted of 10 characteristics associated with giftedness and characteristics of giftedness inherent in African American students. Teachers ranked their highest two choices and lowest two choices. These extreme scores were used to analyze the teachers' perceptions regarding these characteristics. Data collected from the surveys was formatted through the use of a database, and descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. Interviews were conducted with 10 teachers to gain a deeper understanding of their responses to Section I of the survey. During the period of this study, 120 African American students were referred compared to 327 Anglo American students. The results indicate that African American gifted characteristics were viewed as less important than general characteristics of giftedness. Teachers appeared to have varied perceptions regarding gifted characteristics, and those interviewed used very specific definitions of gifted characteristics. Teachers need training to distinguish among the characteristics of giftedness, African American gifted characteristics, and distracters in order to identify and refer more African American students to the gifted school. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)

Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences has impacted the educational community since its inception in 1983. The theory became the framework for Gifted and Talented Education, in that it broaden the scope of giftedness to be defined in the context of students being identified with nontraditional gifts and talents as well as combinations of giftedness and learning disabilities. The Howard Gardner School has emerged to address the needs of the gifted and talented population in an alternative high school setting based upon the theory of multiple intelligences (MI). The purpose of this portrait was to understand and describe the creation and evolution of the Howard Gardner School (HGS) as it was established to provide an innovative approach to educating the bright and creative student. The study included a review of the literature regarding educating gifted and talented students, MI theory and its practical application, and alternative schools and alternative programs. The investigation attempted to understand how the Howard Gardner School achieved its mission and whether it has remained true to the success factors of an alternative school as well as to the tenets of the theory of multiple intelligences. Data for this study was collected during unstructured interviews, observations, and analysis of documents and artifacts. Findings from this study provided insight for school systems, educators, parents, students, policy makers, and researchers about the unusual or unique situation at the Howard Gardner School and implications for educating gifted and talented secondary students. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

This is a qualitative study that examined the attitudes and practices of five leaders of minority urban Christian schools in the eastern United States. Each school had to be a member of the Association of Christian Schools International, be at least 75% African American and/or Hispanic, have at least 90 students, enjoy at least 75% reenrollment, and have the same leader for the last three years. The study found the leaders empowered by a strong sense of spiritual calling (responsibility and appropriate giftedness) expressed in missional service to their local communities. Students reenrolled because of satisfying relationships, safety, and good academics at these schools. Knowledge of civil rights history and other urban issues were relatively secondary in the leaders' motivations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

This qualitative study examined the effects giftedness and ADD/ADHD has on the talent development process of gifted individuals with ADD/ADHD. There is abundant research on the negative influences ADD/ADHD has on academic achievement and psycho-social functioning (Barkley, 1998); however, there is a dearth of research on gifted individuals with ADD/ADHD. Talent development and gifted research have found both environmental catalysts, such as a supportive environment, and internal characteristics, such as an internal locus of control and persistence, as contributing to the development of talent (Bloom 1982). These characteristics are the opposite of the characteristics of an individual with ADD/ADHD (i.e. external locus of control, lack of persistence) (Brand, Dunn, & Greb, 2002). The effects of the confluence of these catalysts on the talent development for gifted individuals with ADD/ADHD are less known. The participants of this study were one female and three male college graduates, ages 27–36 years-old, from middle class families from diverse communities. All were identified gifted in elementary school, and two were diagnosed ADD/ADHD as children and two as adults. Data were collected through interviews with the participants and their parents, and assessments. Analysis was conducted through coding, pattern matching, display matrices, and descriptive analysis. Findings revealed the following to be major influences in the talent development process for these individuals: (a) the symptoms of ADD/ADHD, (b) personal support, (c) quality of acceleration, and (d) internal coping mechanisms. More research is needed to determine other factors that may affect talent development in this population and to generalize findings to the wider population. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

The primary goal of this study is to use Borkowski's model as a guide to explore the role of metacognitive and executive functions skills to help develop a cognitive profile of gifted students. The specific variables to examined included: (1) grade point average (GPA) and achievement level, (2) students'/parents' perceptions of students' metacognitive and EF skills, (3) students' demonstrated EF skills, (4) achievement motivation/personality characteristics and (5) attitudes towards school. The secondary goal was to determine whether gifted students demonstrate superior metacognitive and EF skills. Participants were grade nine and ten gifted students recruited during spring and fall from a high school with a large specialized gifted program. The participants consisted of 59 gifted high school students (35 females, 24 males). In addition to providing information (age, grade, gender), all students completed three paper and pencil questionnaires; (1) Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function, parents also completed a parent version of this test, (2) Achievement Motivation Profile, and (3) School Attitudes Assessment Survey-Revised. Fall participants were individually administered three subtests of the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System. Students' grade point averages (GPA) were provided by a parent which allowed for categorization as either achievers or underachievers. Results revealed girls had significantly higher GPA than boys and underachievers had significantly lower GPA compared to their achieving peers. Parents and students had similar assessments of students' metacognitive skills: however, parents reported higher levels of Monitoring than students. This gifted sample demonstrated superior EF skills in verbal fluency, however, other demonstrated EF skills fell in the average range. Parents reported that boys had significantly more problems compared to girls in their ability to initiate, monitor, use working memory and plan/organize. Underachievers reported significantly lower levels in their ability to follow-though in achieving and completing tasks, while girls had higher levels in their achievement, motivation and planning/organization. Students had average positive attitudes towards teachers/classes and highly positive attitudes towards school. Results suggest that gender and verbal fluency skills may play an important role in the cognitive profile of this gifted high school sample. These results will also help educators in understanding gifted underachievement. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

What explains the persistent disparate enrollment of black students in gifted and talented education programs? The bulk of the literature attributes these enrollment patterns to teacher bias against black students, a lack of knowledge about how giftedness manifests itself in black youth, and the apathy of black parents in the identification process. I argue that disparate enrollment persists because of a participation paradox in education. Politicians and policymakers encourage black parents to become involved in the identification process. However, educators are resistant when members of the black community advocate for access to GATE in the same ways that white parents do so because these forms of participation threaten educators' status as identification experts. More specifically, I argue that the distribution of GATE enrollments is a function of how state and federal governments structure the relationship between education advocates (parents and community members) and educators (teachers and administrators). I find that educational outcomes are less a function of teacher bias and parent motivation than they are a function of strategic professional responses to political pressure. I develop the theory of proprietary threat which addresses the question of how democratic responsiveness is achieved in the areas of government where bureaucratic agents are poised to provide the most immediate response to the public. The theory of proprietary threat elaborates on the policy implementer's decision-making process when facing competing claims for public goods within environments with various power-sharing arrangements between national, state, and local governments. The theory posits that policy implementers who want to maintain their status as the primary experts in their fields will be preemptive in policy implementation when members of the public are likely to engage in activities that copy and compete with their services. I employ a multiple-level mixed methods research strategy. The analysis includes an in-depth case study state legislations and statistical analyses of the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods Survey. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)

The purpose of this study is to conduct a theoretical exploration into the conceptual interrelationships among information processing, psychosocial adjustment, and sensory processing in the population of gifted youth. Although researchers have now been studying various aspects of giftedness for almost a century, many controversies persist with regard to the psychological functioning of gifted children and adolescents. The aim of this study is to develop more conceptual clarity regarding information processing, psychosocial adjustment, and sensory processing in gifted youth to contribute to the understanding of how these constructs manifest themselves and bear upon the phenomenology of giftedness. This will involve a creative integration of theory and research across various disciplines, including psychology, medicine, and occupational therapy. Four major areas of conceptualization are included: social and emotional characteristics of gifted youth, psychosocial adjustment of gifted youth, processing and intelligence, and processing and temperament. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

This study examined the effects of student characteristics on mathematics achievement for three definitions of giftedness (gifted in general, mathematically gifted, and high achieving) from kindergarten through fifth grade using a nationally representative data set, that of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study. It employed a hierarchical linear model to estimate the impact of student characteristics on the initial status and slope of the Item Response Theory-scaled mathematics scores (dependent variable) of children across time. The student characteristics used were gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, definition of giftedness, initial reading ability, and motivation in 3rd grade. Findings showed that student characteristics accounted for over half of the variability in student's initial status. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

There are a wide variety of theories, beliefs, and practices as to what constitutes intelligence, how to define and measure giftedness, and why gifted students academically achieve or underachieve. However, while the current trend is to include other gifted eligibility criteria, in addition to mental ability, more studies are needed as to how academic success relates to gifted eligibility requirements. This study utilized a quantitative research design to compare the Grade Point Averages of recently graduated seniors (N=25), who had previously been identified as gifted based on the Forsyth County School System and the state of Georgia's procedures and rules determining such status. Of the 25, 13 (52%) were males, and 12 (48%) were female, nine (36%) had qualified under the psychometric approach and 16 (64%) became eligible under the multiple criteria approach. While all qualified for the gifted program while attending Forsyth County schools, the grade levels at which eligibility was established ranged from as early as Kindergarten to Grade 8. Data was collected from each participant's gifted folder, as well as from the system's online grading program. Descriptive statistical methods, one-tailed t-tests, and probability ( p) values were used in the analysis of the data. Results indicated no significant differences in academic performance, as measured by the academic Overall, Language Arts/Social Studies, and Math/Science GPAs, when compared to eligibility criteria results. However, this study offers several implications and recommendations for school systems and individual schools as to the identification, curriculum, instructional planning, and support of their gifted students. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

This study involved the creation, development, and evaluation of the HOPE Scale, a 13-item teacher rating instrument to help educators identify students from traditionally underrepresented populations such as those from low-income, Hispanic, African American, or Native American families. Scale items related to academic and social components of giftedness and talent. To accomplish this goal, the HOPE Scale was completed by approximately 350 teachers on their respective 5995 students in the fall of 2007. Subsamples of these data were then analyzed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) in order to determine the model that best fit the data. When these analyses were completed, the resulting model contained eight items on the Academic Scale, three items on the Social Scale, and two items were discarded. A Revised HOPE Scale was then created and administered by a new sample of 71 teachers on their respective 1700 students in the spring of 2008. A similar CFA was conducted which was followed by multi-group CFA (MCFA) procedures to evaluate across-group equivalence for gender, income, and racial/ethnic groups. The MCFA procedures indicated that differential item functioning was not present for income or racial/ethnic groups, but that some non-equivalence was present when comparing gender groups. The Revised HOPE Scale was also evaluated using multilevel modeling (MLM) to determine the effects of different predictor variables (income, gender, ethnicity/race) within the context of the classroom teacher as a clustering variable. These results indicated that low-income, African American, Asian, and Hispanic student status were all negative predictors of HOPE Scale subscores. However, each variable was only in the small range for effect size, indicating a relatively small influence on subscale score. In general, the HOPE Scale performed well for various gender, income, and ethnic/racial groups. Practitioners are cautioned to use local norms when making student comparisons as mean scores for certain groups (e.g., low-income students) are lower than for others. The creation of local, specific group norms will help educators better understand how certain students compare to others of similar background and experience. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

A broadened conception of giftedness has impacted the language and nature of the field of gifted education, making talent development its central metaphor. Despite the emergence of the talent development paradigm, relatively little talent development research exists among racially and socioeconomically diverse learners. The purpose of this study was to expand upon talent development research and to examine how well academic potential predicts success. This study employed secondary data analysis of the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88). Françoys Gagné's Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent served as the theoretical and conceptual framework. The analytic sample included 1,916 Black and White eighth grade students who scored in the top decile within their racial group on any one of four base-year achievement tests. Descriptive statistics and regression analyses were used to examine educational degree attainment and occupational prestige. Findings revealed that socioeconomic indicators were the most influential predictors of success for both Black and White students. Additional common predictors of success included attending a private school, grades being important, and participation in gifted programs for Black students and Advanced Placement programs for White students. Additional findings demonstrated comparable educational degree attainment and occupational prestige across race and levels of academic potential. Several interrelated implications for policy, practice, and research emerged from this study. Most notably, policy implications include establishing identification policies that err on the side of inclusion, and a shift in focus from early indicators of the achievement gap to an emphasis on long-term educational and life outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Research indicates that social and emotional factors play a very important role in the achievement levels of all learners and especially so for gifted populations. This qualitative multi-case study was designed to explore, with a sample of secondary level gifted students, their lived experiences and the influences that contribute to their learning success. The rationale for this study stems from the researcher’s desire to discover ways to better support secondary gifted students and to help them find more engagement and passion in school. The purposefully selected sample was composed of five students at the middle and high school levels who had been previously identified as gifted. Additionally, another 17 participants (parents, teachers, administrators, counselors, and one school board member) were included in the study to lend further insight into the experiences of the student participants. The primary data collection method was in-depth interviews. Supportive methods included multiple classroom observations and document analysis. The data were coded and organized according to the researcher’s questions. Analysis and interpretation of findings were organized according to this abbreviated conceptual framework: (a) Intrinsic and extrinsic influences; (b) Programming; (c) Achievement; (d) Relationships; (e) Affective struggles; (f) Understanding. This research revealed that affective factors influenced these students greatly (in positive and negative ways) and these social and emotional student needs are rarely addressed at school. Further, it was discovered that the students lacked meaningful relationships with teachers at school and that there was a general lack of understanding about giftedness across all sections of this learning community. Recommendations are made for the school district, specific school sites, teachers, parents, and students as well as for future research possibilities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

The purpose of the present investigation was to analyze the measures used in a New Jersey Public School district for the assessment of giftedness among male and female Intermediate and Middle School children. In addition to gender, special education classification status was also evaluated as a variable. Educational data of 89 male and 60 female students who were assessed for giftedness using an achievement index rubric based on the weight of three criteria, (i.e. New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge standardized assessment data, the Scales for Rating the Behavior Characteristics of Superior Students data, and classroom grades) was evaluated. It was hypothesized that the more subjective component of the district's assessment process would be the best predictor of acceptance to the Enrichment Program. It was additionally hypothesized that there would be a significant difference between the Tier I assessment performance of male and female students. It was also hypothesized that there would be a significant difference between the Tier 1 assessment performance of special education and general education students. Finally, while it was believed that the district's assessment methodology would exhibit the ability to differentiate between the gifted and general student populations, it was hypothesized that an exploratory analysis of measures would reveal significant limitations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

School-based programs for gifted students are infrequently evaluated, which leaves these programs vulnerable to questions of efficacy (Borland, 1997). School psychologists are in a key position to provide expertise on program design, implementation, and evaluation. A public elementary school giftedness program was selected to demonstrate the procedures of program evaluability assessment, a type of program evaluation. These procedures include involving key stakeholders, clarifying the intended program’s mission, goals, resources, and activities, exploring program reality, and identifying needed program changes (Wholey, 2004). School psychologists may also be called upon for their knowledge of giftedness theories and methods for identifying and educating gifted students based upon training in cognitive abilities and assessment. A review of the literature regarding giftedness is presented, including theories of giftedness and methods for identifying and educating gifted students. Renzulli’s theories and methods are highlighted, as they were the basis for the giftedness program being studied. Additionally, literature is presented regarding evaluability assessment, including the purpose and goals of conducting such an assessment, as well as the procedures to be used. Interviews with key stakeholders, observations, and review of programmatic documents led to the creation of a logic model, a diagram which visually details how a program functions by delineating the resources, activities, and outputs of a program, and the short-term, intermediate, and long-term outcomes which the program is expected to yield. This evaluability assessment found that the intended program and the program reality were closely matched. Areas for program change were identified, including a need for quantifiable outcome measures, adding standardized identification procedures for student admission to the program, and a standardized overall curriculum to ensure that the education of students can continue regardless of who the giftedness facilitator is within the school district. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

The need to identify the 'real' gifted children in Nigeria for proper placement into gifted schools and the operationalization of giftedness concept prompted the development and validation of the Giftedness Assessment Instrument (GAI).Following the process of item construction, GAI comprises three components derived from several sources in a manner that retains the merits and eliminates the demerits of the sources, hence it is said to be integrated. The three components are: Above average ability test (GAI-1), Creative ability test (GAI-2) and Task commitment/motivation scale (GAI -3) with their independent attributes obtained through factor analysis using principal components with varimax rotations. The test was administered to 600 primary six pupils from public and private schools randomly selected from the six educational zones of Lagos State. The results obtained include: norms - for males and females and for public and private schools, high reliability and validity coefficients and discriminant validity with other standardized convergent and divergent measures of giftedness. To enhance the interpretation of the results, the scores were transformed into standard scores. The instrument was recommended for use in the identification and selection of primary six pupils into the gifted schools. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

This article discusses the present issue of The Mathematics Enthusiast. Some changes have occurred in the structure of the editorial board of the Journal. This issue of the Journal includes articles which represent wide geographic range and topics. This year there are two focus issues of the Journal planned, one on mathematical giftedness and talent. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Reviews the book, Care and education of differently abled by Pankajam (2009). This book identifies the causes of disabilities-mental, physical and social-among the children, and emphasizes the need of special care and education for them. It explains in detail the types of impairment, methods of identification, and educational provision for them, with special focus on physical and health impairment, sensory disabilities, mentally challenged, giftedness, autism, creative child and behavioral disorders. The issue of their rehabilitation has also been addressed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Numerous authors propose that creativity is an important component of giftedness. Creativity—the capacity to generate ideas that are new and adaptive—will be examined in terms of its neurocognitive, conative and environmental foundations. For example, research indicates that gifted children show a high degree of integrated interhemispheric coordination favouring cognitive flexibility and divergent thinking. Furthermore, concerning conative factors, such as curiosity, perfectionnism, a thirst for knowledge, and novelty-seeking are linked to high creative potential. In terms of the environment, research shows that some pedagogies improve children's creative potential. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

Case studies of extremely gifted individuals often reveal unique patterns of intellectual precocity and associated abnormalities in development and behavior. This article begins with a review of current neurophysiological and neuroanatomical findings related to the gifted population. The bulk of scientific inquiries provide evidence of unique patterns of right prefrontal cortex and inferior frontal activation implicated in gifted intelligence, although additional studies suggest enhanced neural processing and cerebral bilateralism. Geschwind, Behan. and Galaburda (GBG) first hypothesized the possible neurodevelopmental factors that account for unique brain development. This article explores more recent Findings taken from the prenatal exposure literature and offers a proposed model for explaining aberrant developmental forces that may be at work in precocious individuals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

Gifted individuals are those who demonstrate outstanding levels of aptitude (defined as an exceptional ability to reason and learn) or competence (documented performance or achievement in top 10% or rarer) in one or more domains. Domains include any structured area of activity with its own symbol system (e.g., mathematics, music, language) and/or set of sensorimotor skills (e.g., painting, dance, sports). The development of ability or talent is a lifelong process. It can be evident in young children as exceptional performance on tests and/or other measures of ability or as a rapid rate of learning, compared to other students of the same age, or in actual achievement in a domain. As individuals mature through childhood to adolescence, however, achievement and high levels of motivation in the domain become the primary characteristics of their giftedness. Various factors can either enhance or inhibit the development and expression of abilities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)