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This study examined the question of whether or not the provision of professional development (PD) for pre-service teachers would change their attitudes toward giftedness and gifted students. The research was conducted with pre-service teachers in the College of Education at New Mexico State University (NMSU). In this random pre/post-test experimental/control group design, an experimental group and a control group were administered a pre-and-post-survey to measure pre-service teachers' attitudes regarding giftedness and gifted students. Data were collected, scored, and analyzed by an analysis of co-variance (ANCOVA) for hypotheses 1 through 6 generated from a survey on gifted attitudes. For hypothesis 7, the data were analyzed using a t-test. For hypothesis 8, the data were analyzed using a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) in order to determine the statistical significance existing between the control and experimental groups regarding attitudes toward giftedness and gifted students at the p < .05 level. Results indicated significance on most factors, therefore suggesting that professional development on giftedness and gifted students can be an effective vehicle in providing knowledge about giftedness to educators. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

The population of intellectually gifted youth encompasses a wide range of abilities, talents, temperaments, and personality characteristics. Although generalizations are often made outside of the empirical literature regarding the interpersonal skills of these children, much remains to be understood about their social behavior. The aim of this study was to examine the within-group differences of gifted children, and it was hypothesized that subgroups of the gifted population would differ from each other in terms of interpersonal skill development. Gifted education teachers within a large K-12 public school district in the Southwestern United States completed the Devereux Student Strengths Assessment (DESSA) regarding the social-emotional competence of 206 elementary and middle school students classified as gifted. Correlational analyses and factorial analysis of variance were conducted to compare interpersonal skills (as measured by DESSA ratings) and students' level of giftedness, area of identification as gifted, gender, and age. Results indicated that interpersonal skills were significantly related to gender, area of identification, and level of giftedness. Female children were described as having significantly higher levels of interpersonal skills overall, and children identified as gifted with both nonverbal and quantitative measures exhibited significantly higher levels of interpersonal skills than those identified with verbal or nonverbal measures alone. Significant correlations were also observed between the level of children's estimated gifted abilities and their interpersonal skills. Trends in the data suggested that as children's cognitive abilities increased, their interpersonal skills also increased, placing profoundly gifted children at social advantages over their moderately gifted peers. However, it was also noted that although the two variables were significantly related, they were not commensurate. While children presented with above-average cognitive abilities, their interpersonal skills were within the average range. This suggests that gifted children may benefit from interventions that target interpersonal skill development, in an effort to bring their social skills more in line with their cognitive abilities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Bias with regard to English Language Learner (ELL) status and interpretation of Full Scale Intelligence Quotient (FSIQ) cutoffs were examined in relation to school psychologists' referral of students who are culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) to gifted education programs. School psychologists were more likely to refer a monolingual, Caucasian student with a FSIQ of 140 compared to an ELL, Spanish student with a slightly different profile with a FSIQ of 125. In contrast, school psychologists did not demonstrate bias in referral rates of two identical profiles of a monolingual and ELL student who both presented with a FSIQ of 125. Additionally, the present study found that the Wechsler battery along with FSIQ cutoffs were most often used in determining intellectual giftedness. The present study also found that graduate training focused less on gifted education than multicultural issues. Together, these findings suggest that identifying intellectual giftedness in students who are CLD lacks much attention. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

The purpose of this study is to understand the meaning and experience of adult giftedness in the workplace. This study is a heuristic inquiry and, by nature, seeks to discover all the relevant components to this meaning and experience of giftedness, and, thus is open to the essence of the experience as it unfolds. Data collection for this inquiry was conducted at the individual/whole person level. The research relied heavily on the use of interviews, which included guiding questions, but allowed for each co-researcher to express the meaning and experience of giftedness in the workplace in their own words. This permitted the inclusion of any other unforeseen data sources that could have arose during the inquiry. The results of the inquiry reveal that the meaning and essence of the experience of giftedness in the workplace begins with the experience of multipotentiality and the intrinsic and undeniable drive to explore ones abilities and pursue the task of work in a passionate way. However, this passion and drive to produce, to utilize talents to their fullest, tends to highlight the gifted adults differences from his average workplace peers. The experience of giftedness in the workplace is at its core, a frustrating experience. Frustrations exist, though tempered with a realization that differences exists between the gifted adult, his/her motivations, preferences, abilities and drives and the non-gifted co-workers. By developing a richer understanding of the essence of giftedness, those in professional positions to assist in the facilitation of gifted development will be better able to do so. New understanding may allow psychologists to be more capable of answering the questions related to how the gifted and talented experience life. Implications for employers are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Adolescents confront a plethora of physical and emotional changes, especially those alterations surrounding puberty. Body image disturbances have become commonplace with high school students, and school personnel seem to have had little success in fighting this problem. Teenagers with body dissatisfaction may also be at risk for mental health problems, such as depression and eating disorders. Gifted adolescents may be particularly susceptible to mental health issues due to a number of specialized issues including overexcitability and social coping ability (Gatto-Walden, 1999). The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship among body dissatisfaction, gender, type of student (gifted or typical), overall overexcitability, social coping, and an interaction between gender and type of student. A diverse group of 489 participants from six Illinois school districts participated in the study, including 268 females (54.8%), 216 males (44.2%), 4 students identifying as "other" regarding gender (0.8%); one student did not respond to that question (0.2%), and they ranged in age from 14 to 20 ( M = 16.6, SD = 1.2). The overall regression model was statistically significant, F(5, 469) = 9.31, p < .001, R 22 = .09. The adjusted R 2 was .081, which indicated that 8.1% of the variance in body dissatisfaction was explained by the model. This effect was medium in magnitude and consistent with previous research with body dissatisfaction. The results support the idea that gender, overall overexcitability, and social coping significantly explained body dissatisfaction, but being gifted (i.e., type of student) did not significantly contribute to the regression model. In addition, the results did not support a gender by type of student interaction. These findings are interesting in that previous research has linked giftedness and overexcitability, but these variables were not strongly correlated in the current study. However, this information has yielded some important implications for school counselors, clinical mental health counselors, and counselor educators. The author also discussed some areas for further research. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

African American and Latino students are typically underrepresented in programs for gifted learners. This research sought to discover the effect of educators who created a culture that identified the gifts and talents of African American male students for advanced placement course work. Information gleaned from this research may provide a window through which an understanding of the leadership and culture that supports recognition and academic achievement of African American males can be viewed. Ultimately, this study may shed additional light on how educators can create a culture that identifies and supports the gifts and talents of African American males. The staff of a large urban high school located in the Midwest developed a cohort program to address the low numbers of African American and Latino students in the advanced courses offered at the school. While most students in gifted and talented programs across the U.S. are identified at the elementary level, these students were identified in the eighth grade to participate throughout their high school careers. The findings revealed that the staff of the high school worked to achieve the goals of recruitment, support, and preparation for post-secondary placement of African American and Latino students. While the goals were met for many students, African American males shared their stories of struggles to participate in the program, including feelings of isolation and inadequacy. These feelings were exacerbated as they entered into rigorous coursework at the ninth grade when their white peers had been involved in this type of curriculum since early elementary school. Results suggested that with intentional program adjustments, the challenging of a staff's belief systems, and a pedagogy specific to African American males, this well-meaning, dedicated, and caring staff could further reach more students and meet the goals of the program. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)

Gifted research often focuses on perfectionism as a common trait of gifted children (Adderholdt-Elliott, 1991; Hollingworth, 1926; Lovecky, 1994). While historically perfectionism was viewed as a negative trait of giftedness (Hollingworth, 1926; Roeper, 1982), recent research has shown that perfectionism is a multidimensional trait that has both adaptive and maladaptive styles (Rice & Ashby, 2007; Rice et al., 1998). Research indicates that style of perfectionism may in part be predicted by parental criticism (Speirs-Neumeister, 2004), gender (Schuler, 2000), and culture (Castro & Rice, 2003). Furthermore, adaptive perfectionism has been linked to greater life satisfaction (Ashby & Rice, 2002), and this relationship has been shown to be influenced by a number of socio-emotional variables in gifted children, including anxiety (Stornelli, Flett, & Hewitt, 2009), self-concept (Rice, Kubal, & Preusser, 2004), and achievement motivation (Chan, 2009b). The purpose of this study was to extend our understanding of the relationship between perfectionism and life satisfaction in gifted children as it relates to parental criticism, culture, gender, anxiety, self-concept, and achievement motivation. Three proposed models were compared to clarify these relationships. Seventy participants were asked to participate in the study and complete self-report measures. The participants ranged in age from 7 to 10 and were recruited from a gifted pull-out program in a Mid-Atlantic upper middle class school district. An additional teacher-report measure was used, as well as a behavioral manipulation check. It was hypothesized that culture and gender would have a significant relationship with perfectionism and parental criticism, which would in turn have significant relationships with anxiety, self concept, and achievement motivation. All of these variables were hypothesized to contribute to life satisfaction. Specifically, it was hypothesized that being of a minority culture and being male were likely to lead to experiencing higher parental criticism and maladaptive or non-perfectionism, which would lead to higher anxiety, lower self concept, and extrinsic achievement motivation, which would lead to lower life satisfaction. Correspondingly, it was hypothesized that being of the majority culture and being female were likely to lead to experiencing lower parental criticism and an adaptive style of perfectionism, which would lead to lower anxiety, higher self concept, and intrinsic motivation, which would lead to higher life satisfaction. The three models were developed to determine the most parsimonious relationship between these variables. The present study used structural equation modeling (SEM) to test the mediation of these variables in three hypothesized models. In addition, linear regression was used to analyze possible moderators. A fourth post-hoc model was constructed using the significant paths from the three hypothesized model in an attempt to find the most parsimonious model with the best fit. Overall, the models accounted for a significant amount of variance, and many of the variables were reliable predictors of life satisfaction. Post hoc model number four was the most parsimonious model with the best fit, and indicated that being of a minority culture significantly predicts higher levels of parental criticism, which predict maladaptive or non-perfectionism, higher anxiety, lower self concept, and extrinsic motivation, which are all significant predictors of lower life satisfaction. Likewise, a student of majority culture is likely to experience lower parental criticism, which results in an adaptive style of perfectionism, lower anxiety, higher self concept, and intrinsic motivation, which all contribute to higher life satisfaction. Implications for future research and school interventions were also discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

The examination of the relationship between race and education continues today as diversity across the country increases, while achievement scores remain stagnant or decreases. Among K-12 public education students in the United States, 7% are identified as gifted with ¾ categorized as Caucasian. Gifted students of color are a minority within an already minority community. This case study explores the influences and impact of race, education, and giftedness among four gifted high school students of color. The participants shared in their understanding of the following: what it meant to be labeled as smart; relating with friends and the importance of their support; strength of family as the key to their involvement; few minorities within the school and program; rigor of gifted classes; status within the school; and culture at home. The lack of critical mass among ethnic minorities within the community and school, particularly within the gifted population, had an impact on student understanding and perceptions of the role of race. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Purpose and Method of Study. The purpose of this study was to generate a theory of the factors that influence gifted student underachievement. The researcher analyzed the experiences of high school students to develop a better understanding as to why these students failed to live up to their academic potential. Data were collected from interviews with underachieving high school students representing high schools in five school districts in the upstate region of South Carolina. The participants in this study were classified gifted as outlined by the state of South Carolina's definition of giftedness. All the students were identified by their school counselors as having underachieved and met the criteria for underachievement established by the researcher. The data for this study were analyzed by using the Strauss and Corbin (1998) method of data analysis of open coding, axial coding, and selective coding. Open coding was the process by which initial concepts were identified, coded, and placed into categories. In axial coding the categories and their respective codes were reevaluated and presented schematically. The selective coding process was used to develop a story line that integrated the categories that resulted from axial coding and to identify a core category from among the previously identified categories. Findings and Conclusions. The theory developed pursuant to this study identified the lack of self-motivation as the major cause of gifted student underachievement at the high school level. The theory indicated that the interaction of several factors ultimately led to the lack of self-motivation, which in turn caused the underachievement. A review of those factors and their respective categories identified areas of concern in gifted student education. An understanding of those categories and their resultant interactions are essential to an understanding of gifted student underachievement. Those individuals who have an interest in or a responsibility for the education of gifted students should be knowledgeable of the theory postulated as a result of this study. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

A differentiated curriculum for the gifted provides learning experiences that are challenging, interesting, satisfying, useful in the application to the real world, transferable to other disciplines and content areas, and allows for choice. While a differentiated curriculum is necessary for gifted learners, students' attitudes, opinions, and perceptions of the differentiated curriculum are seldom sought. This study examined highly gifted, gifted, and perceived gifted students' perceptions of the elements of a differentiated curriculum defined by the California GATE Standards (2005). The population included gifted students in grades 3–5 from three suburban private schools in Southern California. Quantitative methods and descriptive statistics were used to analyze how gifted students perceived the vignettes on a survey questionnaire depicting examples of a differentiated curriculum. Students' responses also indicated how different formal and informal methods of identification of giftedness affected students' perceptions of challenge, choice, interest, satisfaction, usefulness, and transfer in relationship to their curricular experiences. The findings revealed that highly gifted, gifted, and perceived gifted students identified curricular elements representing the differentiated curriculum positively, and that formally identified gifted students' perceptions of challenge of the differentiated curriculum (51%) were significantly different and lower than formally identified highly gifted (87%) and informally perceived gifted (95%) students' perceptions. Gifted students' perceptions of interdisciplinary connections were significantly different and lower than perceived gifted students. The results indicated that for a better match between the concepts of a differentiated curriculum and the learner, teachers and students need to be collaborators in the teaching and learning processes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Current research suggests that gifted students possess a unique set of characteristics that require unique skills and knowledge to address properly. School counselors are in a position to address the unique needs of gifted students provided they have the knowledge required for effective interaction. School counselors are called to provide multiple services for all students in the school setting; among those services are to advocate for student needs as well as to maintain a level of knowledge that will facilitate effective advocacy. Although the current literature suggests that school counselors possess the unique skills to address the needs of gifted students, literature is limited in the area of school counselor advocacy for gifted students, and no studies have addressed school counselor self-efficacy for advocacy of gifted students. The purpose of this study was to investigate how self-efficacy, knowledge of gifted issues, and understanding of professional advocacy competencies relate to school counselors' advocacy activities with gifted students. Quantitative methodology was used to answer the research questions. Professional school counselors completed a series of four instruments that comprised the survey for this study. Participants completed the survey either online or on paper between the months of January and June 2011. SPSS Version 19.0 for Windows was used to complete the statistical analyses for this study, which included descriptive statistics, factor analysis, and regression.The results of this study indicated that knowledge of giftedness, self-efficacy, and building level, significantly predicted school counselors' advocacy competency and activity with gifted students. However, training program and years of experience were not significant predictors of school counselors' advocacy activity with gifted students. Implications for school counselors are increased knowledge of gifted needs and increased advocacy activity for gifted students. In order for school counselors to provide appropriate services to gifted students, it is important to increase their knowledge of the population. This increased knowledge will help school counselors to be more inclusive of gifted students and their needs when developing comprehensive school counseling programs. In addition, this increased knowledge may assist school counselors with becoming active participants in services for gifted students within the school environment. Future research should further explore the level of advocacy activity of school counselors with gifted students and the importance of self-efficacy for school counselors. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Given the critical need to nudge congregants toward sustainable service, surprisingly few studies have explored the possibility of internalizing Christian beliefs and practices through intrinsically motivating ministry activities. According to Self-Determination Theory (SDT), an emerging meta-theory of adult motivation, such activities consistently move individuals from external to internal regulation of behavior. Perceiving undeveloped believers as marginalized members of Christ's body, this emancipatory study sought to build awareness of the need to empower all believers to make kingdom contributions through intrinsically-motivated service that internalizes orthodox faith. Following protocols of a qualitative single case study, the researcher explored the rich perceptions and divergent meanings associated with church-sponsored service among a critical array of stakeholders in a thriving evangelical church. In a vivid portrait gleaned from observations, interviews and documents, SDT's theoretical lens shaped the questions, informed the data, and inspired the cause. In the process, traditional assumptions about servant leadership, Christian formation, and spiritual giftedness were challenged. The study's ultimate aim was to stimulate meaningful dialogue on the need to reform church structures that foster Christian formation through inherently satisfying, Spirit-empowered ministry. Organizing the data under the SERVE acronym, the researcher concludes with a motivational model of Christian service. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

During the last two decades of the twentieth century, some researchers and practitioners in gifted education adopted the belief that overexcitabilities (OEs), from Dabrowski's Theory of Positive Disintegration, are more prevalent in gifted adolescents that in other adolescents. This belief led to recommendations for gifted education, including the recommendation that affective skills are taught in gifted programs. This mixed-methods study was conducted to test secondary teacher perceptions of OEs, and determine if consistent data exists to recommend affective instruction in secondary gifted education. Five secondary English teachers from one Missouri school district completed questionnaires on 37 gifted and 37 non-gifted students, and participated in a teacher focus group to provide data on their perceptions. A comparison of the quantitative and qualitative data showed agreement of higher OEs in gifted secondary students in the area of intellectual OEs, but not in sensual, imaginational, psychomotor, or emotional OEs. When comparing this result to other studies, great inconsistency in the literature is noted, except in the area of intellectual OEs. With studies consistently showing higher intellectual OEs in gifted adolescents, it is recommended that secondary gifted education provide academically and intellectually challenging curriculum. It is possible that inconsistencies in the literature are due to variations in conceptions of giftedness and differences in identification procedures, creating inconsistent samples in studies. It is, therefore, also recommended that consistent identification procedures are adopted, even if only for the purpose of research, so accurate and reliable data can lead to well-supported conclusions about gifted students and gifted education. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Programs for gifted students have been criticized for narrowly defining giftedness as merely cognitive or academic performance. Teacher referrals are usually an important component of identifying gifted students. Teacher perceptions, low expectations, and lack of cultural competence are perceived as barriers to the access of Gifted and Talented Education programs for African American students. This study examined the impact of teachers’ knowledge of Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence Theory (Gardner, 1983, 2006, 2011) on their perception of giftedness in the referral of African American students to Gifted and Talented Education programs. Research questions were: (a) What is teachers’ knowledge of the current district criteria for referral of students to Gifted and Talented programs? (b) Are there differences in the conceptions of referral criteria of teachers with training in MI Theory vs. teachers without training in MI Theory? (c) Are there differences in teacher attitudes, perceptions, and beliefs on giftedness in teachers having training in MI Theory vs. teachers having no training in MI Theory? (d) How do cultural factors impact teacher perceptions of giftedness in African American students, in teachers with training in MI Theory vs. teachers without training in MI Theory, and the referral of African American students to Gifted and Talented Education programs? Using a mixed-methods approach, a quasi-experimental design and qualitative inquiry were utilized. Findings indicated that all teachers demonstrated limited knowledge of district referral criteria. However, teachers having MI Theory training demonstrated greater knowledge of the district’s Alternative Referral and Identification Criteria. Conceptual differences were found in the need for alternative pathways such as peer nominations. Findings noted differences for teachers having training in MI Theory with greater knowledge of characteristics of giftedness and the impact of that knowledge on cultural factors relating to students’ use of non-standard English in the perception of giftedness. Greater focus on leadership is needed in the current federal definition of giftedness. Overall, findings suggested that training in Multiple Intelligence Theory provides a framework for greater understanding of the multifaceted attributes of intelligence, which may result in greater opportunities to identify non-traditional areas of giftedness in African American students. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)

Since the implementation of NCLB initiatives, rural K-12 teachers in Middle Georgia have been working to gain highly qualified status in their area of certification. These educators have faced struggles that are characteristic of rural schools to include: limited resources, isolated geographic locations, and lack of funds. The In-field Gifted Endorsement Program has been offered by local regional education service agencies (RESAs) supporting schools in the region. Participation in this program enabled teachers to receive the necessary professional development training for gaining K-12 gifted certification. The purpose of this qualitative, single case study was to provide in-depth descriptions of the experiences of nine K-12 teachers' participation in the same In-field Gifted Endorsement Program implemented at multiple sites in rural, Middle Georgia. The single case study further sought to describe how these experiences may have affected teacher participants' pedagogical practice. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine rural, K-12 teachers who had participated in the In-field Gifted Endorsement Program. Transcripts from the interviews, teacher-created documents provided by participants, and course syllabi of the professional development program were analyzed using open coding to search for emerging themes. Emerging themes from the analysis include: understanding and recognizing giftedness, importance of differentiating instruction, effective facilitator, choice, significance of challenge and change in thinking, collaboration with colleagues, and change in practice. The results from this study add to the limited research on professional development for rural K-12 teachers seeking additional gifted certification. In addition, results indicate that further research should be considered in professional development of rural teachers of gifted so that curriculum and program developers consider providing teacher participants opportunities for choice, challenge, and collaboration with colleagues to assist change in thinking and practice. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of ten gifted certified teachers in an urban Title I elementary school in order to gain an understanding of gifted certified teachers' lived experiences with identifying gifted traits in their students and with gifted identified students of diverse populations, and to also understand what these experiences meant to the participants. A qualitative, exploratory, phenomenological study was used. The theoretical context of the study was to explore attribution theory as it applied to the lived experiences of ten gifted certified teachers with identifying gifted traits in their students and with gifted identified students of diverse populations in an urban Title I elementary school. The central question explored was: What are gifted certified teachers' experiences in an urban Title I elementary school? Three corollary questions were employed: What is the experience of a gifted certified teacher with identifying gifted traits in their students? What is the experience of a gifted certified teacher with gifted identified students of diverse populations? What does the term giftedness mean to gifted certified teachers? Data was collected through semi-structured interviews, using ten open-ended questions, with the participants regarding their lived experiences with identifying gifted traits in their students and with gifted identified students of diverse populations. The study was an exploratory study of gifted certified teachers' lived experiences with identifying gifted traits in their students and with gifted identified students of diverse populations. The population of interest was eleven gifted certified teachers, in an urban Title I elementary school. The intent of the researcher for using educators within an urban Title I elementary school was to produce detailed descriptions of the participants' lived experiences. The population sample was voluntary participants who were gifted certified. The sole purpose for the findings of the study was for this dissertation. No information was shared with the school board or principal of the school. The implications for further research were to develop a broader area of study, including rural school districts and other urban school districts. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)

The objective of this dissertation is to offer a series of analyses that contribute to the validation of the Aurora Battery, a cognitive assessment based on Robert J. Sternberg's theory of Successful Intelligence that is currently under development. Convergent validity will be examined by exploring how objective and subjective measures of the battery converge, through the novel application of the Correlated Trait Correlated Method-1, a specialized confirmatory factor analysis model that allows subjective measures to be compared against an objective measure. The predictive validity of Aurora will be shown by highlighting Aurora's ability to help predict students' school grade point average through latent growth curve models that are extended into path models. Divergent validity will be demonstrated by establishing sensitivity and specificity between the Aurora Battery and the TerraNova tests. Finally, the current state of the field of giftedness and possible future directions will be discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

This qualitative study was designed to explore the experiences and perceptions of a group of mothers whose elementary school-aged children met the criteria for intellectual giftedness in an Ontario school board. Guided by Beach and Mitchell's image theory and Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory, the study sought to identify (a) the meanings mothers ascribed to the concept of giftedness, (b) their experiences of the assessment, identification and placement process, and (c) the factors deemed important to educational decision making. A postpositivist orientation and rigorous qualitative research methods were employed. Data were collected in two phases: an internet-based survey comprised of demographic items and open ended questions, followed by in-depth interviews with five purposefully selected participants. Resultant data from 45 surveys and 15 interviews were coded and organized according to the survey questions and central elements of the theoretical framework. Eight research findings revealed that the experience of mothering gifted children was complex, challenging, emotional, and at times, isolating. Many mothers struggled with the concept of giftedness and how it pertained to their children. As mothers navigated the assessment, identification and placement process, the lack of accessible, timely, and consistent information from the school board posed a considerable barrier, prompting many to reach out to other parents of gifted children for information and support. Factors deemed important to decision making about educational placement included maternal perceptions related to the various options, child specific and practical considerations, and the attainability of specialized gifted programming. Educational decision making was identified as the most difficult aspect of the maternal experience. Given that the study participants were unusually well educated and well resourced, the findings were particularly revealing. The study findings add to a small but growing body of research that furthers our understanding of image theory in real life decision making. In addition, the findings give voice to the experience of mothering children identified as gifted, thus making a valuable and original contribution to the literature. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

School psychologists are comprehensive service providers asked to help with all students in assessing their needs, providing intervention strategies, and consulting with others. However, the role of school psychologists in gifted education is unclear, as more attention is given to students perceived to be disadvantaged. This underserved population experiences a wide-range of challenges that can be assisted by school psychologists (Brown, 1982; E.L. Robinson, 2002). To date, there has been no study to investigate school psychologists' awareness, perceptions, and involvement in gifted education. This study assessed potential service delivery differences in gifted education, examined current practices and awareness of related policies, evaluated the knowledge of school psychologists in regards to gifted students and their education, and examined perceived needs in order to best service gifted students. An online survey was developed and distributed to psychologists in the two states: New Jersey, a state where gifted education is mandated and New York, a state where gifted education is not mandated. A total of 291 surveys were used in data analysis. Findings suggest that school psychologists in this study hold a more liberal view of the term giftedness, even though it appears that only a small percentage of students are serviced in gifted programs. Results also revealed various needs with implications for training and practice. Most school psychologists reported not having received any training in gifted education and desire to learn more about gifted learners and ways to service this population. Furthermore, questions regarding state mandates on gifted education showed that school psychologists practicing in New York were more likely to work with gifted students than school psychologists practicing in New Jersey. When school psychologists in this study engaged in gifted education related activities, they did in a number of areas of practice such as assessment, counseling, Response to Intervention, and consultation. School psychologists' report of ideal assessment practices differed from their current practices. When compared to their familiarity with service models for gifted education, school psychologists reported use of strategies was relatively low. On items investigating perceptions of gifted students, school psychologists demonstrated awareness of some myths and facts. However, they lacked knowledge on some gifted characteristics, creativity assessment, and accelerated options. Based on the findings from this study, it appears that school psychologists are an untapped resource in the service of gifted students. This study highlights areas of needed training, which may help increase services for this population. The increased literature in the field may raise awareness of this population and their needs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

One of the great challenges to teachers both historically and contemporarily is to facilitate a classroom as a group of students, while concurrently attending to each individual student. As the profession becomes increasingly aware and sensitive to student (dis)abilities, academic giftedness, pressures of athletics and extra-curricular events, and acknowledges the racial, cultural, sexual, economic, gendered identities of students— the complexity of each individual student becomes ever more apparent. It is a seemingly insurmountable challenge. This dissertation examines how stem cell unit guided group learning while also attending to the individual learning needs of each student. What makes classroom study unusual in research is that it is completely “usual”. This study was not part of a university partnership nor did it take place in an affluent school district. Instead, this unit took place in a large, Midwestern urban high school that was/is often written off as a failing—underscoring that powerful science teaching and learning is occurring in schools society simultaneously portrays as victim and villain in the media. Using a sociocultural lens, this ethnographic study draws upon two frameworks, Wenger's communities of practice (1998) and Hayes and Gee's (2011) public pedagogy, to examine how participation in a debate individualizes and personalizes student knowledge and participation in science. The primary use of a community of practice framework allowed for analysis of the norms, rules, practices, and routines of Classroom 507—to establish the nature of the community of learners in the study. A secondary framework, public pedagogy, allowed for deeper understanding of the practices drawn upon in the classroom through consideration of the design, resources, and an emergent “affinity space”. This hybridized analysis led to further understanding of how students and teacher stand to learn, participate, engage and use a classroom lesson, the debate, to serve their own, unique purposes. During my observations of biology Classroom 507, the class engaged a three-week unit on the ethics of stem cells which ended in a class-wide debate. I had the opportunity to observe, film, and interview students and their teacher. Through observation, interviews, and film, I began to understand the classroom community (its norms, practices, and routines) but also began to recognize how this unit functioned to teach content but push on student thought creation and development as individuals. In this dissertation, I construct something I call an “affinity story” for four focal students (Mismin, Kevin, Molly, and Michael) and their teacher (Theresa). These affinity stories capture how each of the individuals co-opted the debate space in various ways allowing for engagement and participation in ways that were true to themselves and their social and academic needs. Implications from this dissertation include: 1) re-considering the importance of how both students and teacher enrich science understandings when public, authentic talk is encouraged; 2) how teachers can design units and draw from diverse resources to enrich the learning experience of the individual; 3) how students and teacher appropriate learning spaces for their own individual social and academic needs; 4) to consider what it means to allow students to follow their affinities within the science classroom; and 5) to inspire teachers as they engage in the difficult task we call teaching. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)