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This chapter discusses the promotion of optimal mind-sets among gifted children. Students need to hear the message that effort increases their ability. Discussing the developmental nature of giftedness and the maleability of the brain with students helps to promote this message. Equally important is the mind-set parents and teachers hold, as well as the ways they encourage students to excel. The key is to separate the recognition of the talent from the attribution for how the talent came to fruition. Challenging curriculum supports growth mind-sets. When work is not challenging, gifted students earn good grades without putting forth substantial effort. Researchers and practitioners have speculated on the possible negative effects of being able to earn high grades with limited effort, and a fixed mind-set may be one of them. A challenging curriculum helps students learn to recover from setbacks and understand the importance of effort. Having a mind-set that does not foster coping with setbacks inhibits the movement from ability to eminence. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)

The material in this chapter results from a comprehensive review of the scientific literature in psychology that draws from these five views of giftedness and talent development as well as research on expertise, high performance, creativity, motivation, and human development. The outcome of the Subotnik et al. analysis is a framework that includes the following central points: (a) giftedness is not static but maleable and needs to be developed; (b) it is more useful to consider giftedness as domain specific rather than global; (c) psychosocial skills play an outsize role in optimal development; and (d) the desired outcome of gifted education is to provide the skills, knowledge, and opportunities needed for talent to be developed to optimal levels of performance or creative productivity at each phase, which includes eminence for those individuals who wish to and are able to pursue that goal. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)

The purpose of this chapter is not to catalog research on individual social or emotional traits associated with gifted individuals; such summaries will be found in subsequent chapters. Rather, it is to offer a survey of theoretical frameworks through which those traits can be more effectively understood and addressed. The following section highlights several theories of social or emotional development that have found use in recent years among gifted educators, as well as recent research drawing on those frameworks. It is not a comprehensive list, but it represents a cross-section of popular acceptance, recent development, and depth of application. The greater intent is to demonstrate how placing traits of giftedness in a theoretical context can help us formulate better service. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)

Gifted education in Japan is unique in that there is neither formal definition of giftedness or identification of the gifted based on it, nor official gifted educational programs in school due to the climate of egalitarianism. However, education that virtually or de facto plays the role of gifted education, especially academic giftedness, has been implemented both in and outside of the school settings. These de facto gifted programs have created competition and hierarchies of schools based on student achievement. Recently the government changed its emphasis in educational policy from uniform curriculum to individualized education, while promoting the improvement of student achievement. The individualization of learning, which builds on the strengths of students and caters to their needs, is gradually spreading. This way of virtual gifted education is useful particularly in special needs education for students with disabilities. A challenge facing the educational system in providing appropriate education for precocious and advanced students is the development of plans that meet the diverse advanced learning needs of each student without calling it gifted education and selecting a small number of students for special gifted programs. In addition, in order to advance gifted education in Japan, giftedness in students with developmental disorders need to be more recognized. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)

This chapter discuses the science and education of the individual. Gifted education has been the core of the Eastern Asian education tradition, albeit following an extremely limited definition of giftedness. When giftedness is limited to academic performance, as it is the most common definition in practice even in the West, it would not be an exaggeration to describe Asian meritocracy as a sophisticated system of gifted education. In fact the entire system has been built to serve those children gifted in memorization, compliance, and test taking. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)

In this chapter, we present an account of how giftedness is viewed in India, the second most populous country in the world. Despite the innovative potential which could be harnessed from this vast populace, millions of students remain deprived of basic education, and are often restricted by matters of inequality. As a result, discussion will focus on issues of equity, as well as privileges and policies for the gifted and talented in India, which are often quite different in their nature and magnitude in comparison to other countries. This chapter will address the issue of how giftedness is perceived, identified, and nurtured in India through a socio-cultural and psychological lens. Discussion will then center on the status of programs and policies for the gifted and talented in India which will serve as indicators of a general roadmap of what India can and needs lo do for its gifted and talented population. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)

Studies of drawings by young art students, nonart students, and children who realized their potential for artistic giftedness in adulthood provide clear evidence regarding the effects of advancing knowledge on the development of artistic talent and creativity in children. Focusing on the nature of this artistic experience and developing expertise, this chapter argues that artistic creativity does emerge from measurable interactions between advancing knowledge and visual information processing. Furthermore, the relationships among advanced knowledge in the visual arts, the processing of visual information (i.e., problem finding and reasoning), and creative productivity depend on the task, the behavior monitored, the phase of developing talent, and the expertise that educational intervention can afford. Embracing Gruber's evolving systems approach, a description emerges of the interplay among the young artist's purposeful work, affect, and knowledge of traditional visual arts conventions. The discussion of the early development of artistic talent and creativity articulates the yields of both quantitative and qualitative studies. Studies of the artistic development of groups of children stand against current theories and practice in art education. Identifiable differences do emerge within the context of case studies showing the early roots of children's artistic talent and creativity. The case study of a young artist named Eric later in this chapter is used to exemplify these points. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)

In this chapter, we discuss racial/ethnic identity and gender identity and their association with outstanding performance. We begin with a brief review of giftedness as a construct, and a review of statistics on the demographic membership of gifted and talented education (GATE) programs. Next, we discuss in turn racial identity and ethnic identity and the research that relates these constructs to outstanding achievement. Then, we repeat this discussion in the context of gender identity. Finally, we conclude with some thoughts about research in this area. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)

The emphases on thinking, creating, and problem solving provide direction for educators who desire to prepare gifted students to lead a rapidly changing world. The skills learners need today go beyond the standard curriculum; their future and the well-being of our society depend on educational practices that foster these skills and abilities. Inquiry learning, including project- and problem-based learning, is a method for all students to acquire these outcomes; however, it is particularly well-suited to gifted students' inquiry-oriented learning style. Inquiry learning provides the opportunity for true differentiation for exceptional learners and holds the promise of uncovering latent giftedness through developing intellectual character. In this chapter, I will focus on inquiry learning as an effective strategy for optimizing and developing higher order thinking skills in gifted learners, differentiating curriculum in the inclusive classroom (with obvious parallel implications for the benefit of inquiry-based curriculum in cluster and exclusively gifted classroom environments), and the opportunity to reveal giftedness in unidentified learners. In a time of innovation, global connectedness, and technological possibility, educators have the opportunity to provide curriculum that fosters these skills and abilities for today's learners and nurtures the leaders of tomorrow. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)

In this chapter, we choose to use the term advanced academics in place of gifted and talented for many reasons that will become clear later in this chapter. However, first we want to make a few points before we discuss this approach. We believe that the goals of gifted and talented education are the same as those of any advanced academics program: to assure that all students learn, are appropriately challenged, and have their academic needs met in school. Of course, not all references to "giftedness" deal with K-12 schools. This is the first major difference between the differentiation paradigm and the talent development paradigm, and is part of the reason why we have chosen to avoid the term gifted. The advanced academic model is concerned solely with the education of students in schools. It is not focused on adult learners, talent in other areas of the lifespan, or those individuals who are gifted or otherwise advanced in areas not addressed in schools (e.g., gifted welders or potters, unless those areas of study are part of the academic curriculum of a school, in which case these domains would fall under the advanced academic model). (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)

Talent development as a framework for understanding giftedness and advancing gifted education services has gained momentum fueled in part by recent publications, discussions, and dissatisfaction with the efficacy and sustainability of traditional approaches in contemporary schools. Important goals in a curriculum focused on talent development include developing an individual's capacity to recognize affordances in natural, social, and technological environments that may multiply individual abilities, and to skillfully and ethically engage with (and add value to) these extended cognitive resources. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)

This chapter focuses on the use of the Woodcock-Johnson TV Tests of Cognitive Abilities (WJ-IV-COG) and Woodcock- Johnson IV Tests of Achievement (WJ-IV-ACH) in the assessment of students who may be gifted. To provide a context for this discussion, we first tackle the thorny issue of, "who are the gifted?" We then present the readers with the tripartite model of giftedness. Next, we discuss the various purposes of assessment of the gifted, basic principles, and fundamental beliefs underlying these assessments. Finally, we examine the unique strengths of the WJ IV COG and ACH for the assessment of the gifted. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)

What is the usual language of creativity? In science we often hear about novelty and value, originality, significance, innovation, giftedness, talent, genius, art, science, invention, inspiration, improvisation, imagination, divergent thinking, discovery, so on and so forth. What would a focus on language and its processes teach us about creativity? As we will see here, it would bring to the fore new terms such as dialogue, genre, centripetal and centrifugal forces, intertexuality, indexicality, games, and so on. The first vocabulary applies well to the creative person and his or her creative output; the second focuses our attention on process and context, both crucial for understanding and using language. But, before turning to these notions, let us start by unpacking further the bi-directional relation between language and creativity. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)

In fairy tales, many protagonists learn by journeying through the Woods, whereas most children in the modem world learn by going through the school system. In this chapter, we use the fairy tale characters from the musical. Into the Woods, as a metaphor for the development of creatively gifted students in our school system (i.e., the Woods). We first trace key research and beliefs about giftedness and creativity in the West, then contrast this with how these concepts are considered in the East (specifically discussing South Korea). We then review how school systems treat various creatively gifted students and problems that commonly arise. Last, we discuss future directions for how school systems can nurture creativity in all students. Discussed solutions include: the RTI model for gifted programs, teaching creative metacognition, and developing effective and efficient creativity assessments. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)

This chapter explores the idea of whether gifted individuals exhibit higher levels of creativity, as compared to other no gifted individuals. Many prominent theories and models within the field of gifted education include creativity as an important component of giftedness, including Renzulli's Three-Ring Model (1986), Sternberg's Triarchic Theory of Intelligence (2003), Tannenbaum's Star Model (2003), and Gagné's Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent (2009). However, it is important to consider these in the context of several debates over definitions of creativity, as well as existing empirical research suggesting advantages in creativity for gifted children and adolescents. Given this framework, the chapter describes an original study examining whether creativity is more prevalent in high-ability young adults as well. Scores on the Scale of Creative Attributes and Behaviors (Kelly, 2004), a self-report measure of creativity, were collected online for a sample of 323 Honors College students and 226 general education students at a mid-sized Midwestern university. A MANOVA was conducted to compare across multiple dimensions of creativity, and a series of follow-up t-tests were conducted for the subscale scores of Creative Engagement, Creative Cognitive Style, Spontaneity, Tolerance, and Fantasy. The results suggested overall group differences, and the Honors College students exhibited significantly higher Creative Engagement and Creative Cognitive Style. However, the general education sample was significantly higher on the Spontaneity subscale. Effect sizes for these differences were small to moderate. Potential reasons for these findings, including the threshold theory, a nuanced conceptualization of creativity, motivational influences, and self-discipline are then presented. Although there are some limitations of the study, these results provide further evidence for the inclusion of creativity in models of giftedness. These differences between bigh-ability and general education college students also highlight the importance of replicating research on creativity and giftedness in a variety of ages, as well as across a variety of talent levels, and the applications of this research for adults. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)

Why would we look at gifted people at work as a special group? Their characteristics may lead to specific unsatisfactory or difficult situations at work. Gifted people are here defined according Kooijman-van Thiel (Hoogbegaafd. Dat zie je zó! Over zelfbeeld en imago van hoogbegaafden. Gifted, obvious! On identity and self-image of Gifted Persons. OYA Productions, Ede, 2008): they are quick and intelligent thinkers, who can handle complex cases, are autonomous, curious and passionate by nature, are sensitive and emotional persons, intensely alive and enjoy being creative. Studying this group is a challenge, as there is no representative sample. The analysis relies here on qualitative analysis of various sources, notably case studies collected from gifted adults. In working environments attention for the following topics is important: making choices; communication with co-workers; communication with supervisors; psychosocial problems; how to tell about giftedness. Finally, insights from Positive Psychology help to cope more effectively with the characteristics of giftedness in all domains of life of the gifted, including psychosocial health at work. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)

It is increasingly recognized in the field of gifted education that giftedness is asynchronous development, which posits that the combination of advanced cognitive abilities and heightened intensity and sensitivity in the gifted population creates inner experiences and awareness that are qualitatively different from the norm. The asynchronous development of the gifted renders them vulnerable particularly in the social-emotional aspects (Silverman, 1993). The purpose of this chapter is to look into the social-emotional characteristics of gifted students. It is further asserted that the social-emotional challenges or inner conflicts experienced by the gifted students were actually the driving force of the personal development for the gifted students. Implications on effective counselling for the gifted are also discussed with the aim to facilitate an optimal personal development of the gifted in a Hong Kong school context. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)

Worldwide, the lifetime prevalence of children who experience the death of one or both parents is estimated to be 151 million as of 2011 (UNICEF, 2013). The loss of a parent is described as one of the most stressful experiences a young person will experience. The primary purpose of this chapter is to provide readers with insight into how cognitive developmental frameworks influence variations in children’s responses to death and, in turn, the choice of interventions tailored to each student/family’s unique needs. The chapter also gives examples of evidence-based grief counseling interventions derived from school psychology and related child clinical psychology literature. Special considerations when working with children who have developmental differences (e.g., developmental disabilities, giftedness) are also discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)

An unfortunate feature of much research is the tendency to attract attention—such as increased citations—by advocating extreme positions on difficult questions, the nature-nurture issue decidedly among them. The downside of this practice for our understanding of giftedness is that the complex interactions between genetic and environmental factors tend to get overlooked. Worse yet, in minimizing the function of one or the other side of the debate, proponents of single-factor explanations tend to vastly oversimplify the supposed operation of the neglected factor. That oversimplification is certainly apparent in the advocates of deliberate practice as the sole factor in talent development—a point that I wish to elaborate in this chapter. As will be seen below, the genetics of genius, talent, or giftedness is far more complex and nuanced than these extremists realize. I begin by showing that any innate gift or talent for a given domain must be defined in terms of deliberate practice for the definition to feature any scientific validity. I then focus specifically on the genetics side of the foregoing demonstration, showing that nature most likely operates in a far more complex and dynamic manner than often realized. A gift or talent does not work anything like the inheritance of eye color or even height. After these two arguments are presented, I close by discussing some implications for practice. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)

Paula has been teaching for more than 30 years at a school specializing in gifted education. She loves working with her students, who are quick and dedicated learners. In 2016, the school was taken over by a new consortium, which decided to adopt a more contemporary school approach to replace the existing one that had been in force for more than 30 years. The consortium appointed Paula to put together an Innovation Team to oversee the transition to the new structure. Paula happily accepted. In this chapter, we will report Paula's initial thought processes. She was fully cognizant that the efficiency and success of the Innovation Team would depend on the quality of her preparatory work. Along with carefully monitoring and analyzing her school and conducting a thorough examination of the relevant literature, she also consulted several experts from various backgrounds. These included experts in gifted education (representatives from other gifted schools and researchers), experts in administration and governance, parents of gifted students, and organizational psychologists and sociologists. She also consulted specialists, such as the program director of a mentoring program and the head of a school specializing in self-regulated learning. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)