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Researchers have found all five overexcitabilities to be stronger among gifted individuals but gifted gay, lesbian, and bisexual (GLB) students frequently find themselves in a dilemma in which they must choose between academic success and social acceptance. The emotional impact of that dilemma may be heightened significantly for them. Schools have been unresponsive to the needs of gifted GLB students and lack of understanding of these sexually diverse gifted students has only contributed to their challenges. Therefore, I explored this general question: What, if any, differences among the dimensions of overexcitability are related to sexual orientation, giftedness, and/or gender? Requests for participants containing a URL for an online survey were distributed through education, gifted, diversity, and GLBT listservs at eleven geographically-dispersed colleges/universities and via MENSA e-mail lists/newsletters. Quantitative research methods were utilized to study variations in which 965 heterosexual, gay, and bisexual individuals possessed overexcitability characteristics as measured by the Overexcitability Questionnaire II. Gender role was measured with the Bem Sex Role Inventory. The Gifted, Gender, and Sexual Orientation Main Effects were significant, but more importantly, these results were more fully explained by the significant Gender by Sexual Orientation Interaction. Gender Role did not affect the results. Heterosexual males had significantly higher mean Intellectual scores than heterosexual females; heterosexual females had significantly higher mean Emotional scores than heterosexual males; bisexual females scored significantly higher than heterosexual females in Sensual, Imaginational, and Intellectual.; gay males scored significantly higher than heterosexual males in Emotional; and there were no significant differences in Psychomotor for any subpopulation. Other statistically significant results as well as unexpected results were described. In addition, included were implications for (1) Dabrowski's Theory of Positive Disintegration and (2) gifted education. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

The present study aimed to design two instruments and then use them to reveal the psychology of mathematical giftedness in schoolchildren—their mathematical creativity and attitude towards mathematics. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used. In the first phase of the study, a mathematical creativity instrument (MCT) and an attitude-scale (AS) towards mathematics were designed. The MCT was composed of nine non-routine mathematical problems aimed to test three factors of mathematical creativity: the ability to discover patterns, the ability to apply symbols and rules, and the ability to express in formalized mathematical language. The MCT was piloted with 209 primary five pupils. The reliability (Alpha) of the MCT was found to be 0.81, and the construct validity of the MCT with the three-factor structure was confirmed by a confirmatory factor analysis with AGFI = 0.99. The AS was composed of twenty-one items aimed to measure five factors of attitude: confidence, perceived value of mathematics, perceived teacher support, interest and commitment, and negative feelings. The AS was piloted with the same 209 pupils. Alpha of the AS was found to be 0.93, and the construct validity with the five-factor structure was confirmed with AGFI = 0.98. In the second phase of the study, the MCT and the AS were used in three groups of primary five pupils: the mathematically gifted group (MG), the average group (AV) and the underachievers' group (U). It was found that MG performed significantly better than both U and AV in all the three factors of mathematical abilities. MG also showed significantly better attitudes than AV in ‘confidence’, ‘value’, ‘interest’ and ‘negative feelings’, and significantly better than U in ‘interest’. In the third phase of the study, five pupils from MG and three pupils from AV were interviewed. Their think-aloud protocols in answering questions from the MCT were studied to reveal their differences in problem solving strategies. It was found that MG tended to spend more time to decode a problem and make suitable analogical transfers. Similarly the five pupils from MG and two pupils from U were interviewed to reveal their differences in attitude towards mathematics. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

The current instrumental single case study examined teachers’ perceptions of the barriers to identifying gifted African American students for participation in elementary gifted and talented programs. A total of 139 certified teachers voluntarily participated in the study and completed a short 10-item survey, “Why Do We Identify So Few Gifted African American Children?” The study included interviews with teachers of the gifted. The interviews focused on gaining further in-depth knowledge on the use of district-wide screenings as a part of a gifted education identification process. The results of the current study indicated that despite the implementation of a district-wide screening process, African American students remained underrepresented in the studied district’s gifted and talented programs. Survey and interview data supported the findings of the study. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)

Educators lack an efficient means to predict academic success at the high school level. Analysis of assessment scores may provide prediction patterns to help districts raise the percentage of students who persist to graduation, provide support for students who exhibit characteristics of academic risk or giftedness, and move populations closer to meeting Adequate Yearly Progress. To consider assessment data as potential indicators of academic transition success from middle to high school, this study examined the correlation between middle school Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) scores and high school Grade Point Average (GPA). MAP Communication Arts and Mathematics were independent variables. The dependent variable was cumulative freshman-year GPA. Stepwise multiple regression analysis determined a positive correlation between each independent variable and freshman-year GPA. Calculation of the Pearson Coefficient determined that MAP Mathematics demonstrated the strongest relationship. A logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the value of MAP Communication Arts and Mathematics scores as predictors of the range of GPA likely to be achieved. Using conditional probabilities, a prediction model was constructed and applied to analyze characteristics of data across a two-year time span. Preliminary identification of student MAP achievement in the Advanced and Proficient categories allowed a comparison to the subsequent GPA range. Ranges were defined by dividing the traditional 4.0 GPA into five categories. Scores in the Advanced and Proficient ranges from each MAP category yielded an excellent accuracy rate for predicting a GPA of 2.5 & above, and a strong accuracy rate for predicting a GPA of 3.0 & above. The Mathematics and Communication Arts categories demonstrated an excellent prediction success rate for the GPA category of 3.5 & above. Results indicate that educators may benefit from adding middle school MAP Mathematics scores to the portfolio when evaluating strengths and weaknesses relative to academic transition to high school. Before deciding upon the usefulness of this tool, a district would benefit from a similar examination of its own data. Factors not considered in this study, such as choice of school improvement model (Professional Learning Community vs. Accelerated Schools) and type of scheduling (block vs. traditional), may yield differing results district-to-district. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

The objective of this study was to conduct exploratory research addressing the primary question, “To what extent is there evidence of underachievement among white, middle- and high socioeconomic status (SES) gifted males?” An underachieving gifted student (UAG) in this study was defined as a student possessing characteristics of both an accelerated learner and a low performer. Giftedness was defined by school district identification; underachievement was measured by school GPA ≤ 2.0. (District population 18,500, 51% male, 44% white, M/H SES 77%; Gifted population within district 3,133, 1,446 male, 2,060 white, 84% M/H SES.) The study found UAG existed in a small percent of the sub-group evaluated. The secondary questions of which factors in school performance appeared to be contributing to UAG within the sub-group and how members of the population perceived themselves in relation to their school experience were explored. A combination of quantitative and qualitative research methodology was utilized in the study. Descriptive statistics were generated through computer sort, the School Attitude and Assessment Survey-Revised (SAAS-R, D.B.McCoach, 2002) was administered to sub-group members, and structured interviews utilizing a constructivist interpretive paradigm were conducted with triangulated groups of students, parents, and teachers. The sample obtained similar Cronbach Alpha reliabilities on four of the five SAAS-R factors as the original survey with the exception of Academic Self-Perception (ASP) [Sample ASP (.635); original (.890)]. Ten thematic lines of commonality emerged in the study: high level of internal challenge, constancy of stress, mismatch between individual thinking patterns and school structure, high EQ/IQ indicators, internal asynchrony, relative importance of sociability, intellectual skill gaps, resilience, coping mechanism development, and sub rosa functioning. The purposes of the study, to begin filling an existing gap in literature on gifted underachievement, provide description of the sample, give voice to actual members of the population, and provide information of use in continued development of effective differentiated instruction were addressed. Results indicated that the sub-group contains members who could be considered “at-risk” in terms of traditional academic achievement. The implication is that students traditionally considered as “advantaged” also require individual attention in order to thrive within our schools. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

On the tenth anniversary of a series of school rampage shootings in Springfield, Oregon, Littleton, Colorado, and Conyers, Georgia, the purpose of this study was to determine whether there were indications of intellectual, academic, or creative giftedness with emotional/behavioral disorders in the perpetrators. In addition, through historiographical methods, this study was designed to allow for themes to surface from the authentic writings of the adolescent shooters. Similarities in previous research results are reported in the meta-analysis, and categories derived from my analysis of the writings of Kip Kinkel, Eric Harris, Dylan Klebold, and T.J. Solomon are indicated in the analysis chapter. These categories are: (1) existential thinking, (2) control/power, (3) image, (4) blame, (5) cognitive/affective thinking problems, (6) lacking meaningful connections, (7) meaningful connections, (8) creativity, and (9) intellectualization. In addition, two themes surfaced in this study. They are: (1) The desires of the boys to improve their image may have been their motivation to take control of the negative circumstances in which they perceived themselves to be; and (2) The perpetrators felt devalued for their natural proclivities for creative and/or intellectual strengths, which may have caused them to question existentially why they were here, and to blame a higher power for their burdens. Finally, the themes evolved into one assertion. The aforementioned themes may have contributed to self-doubt of their value in the world; hence, contributions toward a diminished level of social-emotional self-efficacy may have deepened, which in turn, may have stimulated their need for gaining power and control to improve their image according to their perceptions and the perceptions of their peers. The implications of this study are discussed, along with several recommendations for future studies and programming for G/T children and for children with E/BD's. Finally, I share recommendations for those involved with the criminal aspects of these and future cases. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Part one of this study relied on archival data of an urban public high school to explain and compare the Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) course taking patterns and program exam performance of high school students who had participated in the district's program for gifted learners, the Extended Learning Program (ELP), when in grades 4-8, with those that did not. Adapting Gagne's (2003, 2004) Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent (DMTG) as a conceptual framework, part two of this study examined the intrapersonal and environmental catalysts affecting the talent development process as perceived by seniors, enrolled in an AP or IB course. Seniors taking AP or IB and who had participated in the Extended Learning Program, were asked for their perceptions of the program's role in enhancing high-level performance and creative interest. From archival data, former ELP students enrolled in more AP and IB courses, had higher mean scores on AP and IB exams, earned over 85% of the AP and IB awards, and were more likely to graduate when compared to non-ELP students. From survey data students indicated that they perceived their internal characteristics as most responsible for their talent development process, noting hard work and persistence as critical traits. Those who had participated in the ELP found it offered opportunities to be with like peers, to work on challenging and advanced curricula, and to better prepare for the academic challenges ahead. Based on these findings, recommendations for policy that focus on the need for longitudinal tracking of gifted learners across elementary and secondary levels are made. Recommendations for practice include work with counselors to provide appropriate assistance in academic planning, especially for underserved populations. Suggestions for future research include studies that examine teacher receptivity to promoting talent development processes in gifted and high ability learners. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

The experiences of culturally diverse gifted learners have become a focus for research within the last decade, as have the experiences of gifted adults, yet few of these studies have been completed within Australia. The majority of research currently available in this field within Australia focuses on gifted children or adolescents. This doctoral research investigates the narrative lives of gifted adults across multicultural Australia. Interviews with Indigenous, Asian and European participants provided an array of cultural perspectives, and also represented a range of religious beliefs including Atheist, Buddhist, Christian, and Islamic viewpoints. Their culturally diverse life experiences, education, moral and spiritual development are shared through the presentation of their perspectives, insights and understandings of the phenomenon of giftedness. The study involved a bricolage of qualitative research methodology and data collection strategies, including phenomenology, ethnography, narrative and art inquiry, to inform the research. Therefore the narratives are collected from interview data, value activities and collage work. The research journey is complemented by metaphoric imagery and key themes are also represented visually. The author uses a bicompetent approach to research incorporating both traditional academic and indigenous styles of presentation. The combination of these methodologies and variety of data collection and analysis strategies used resulted in a many faceted, multi-voiced dissertation contributing to the literature on giftedness by exploring an under utilised source, the gifted adults of multicultural Australia, whilst honouring their narrative life stories. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Special cognitive structure, persistent and obsessive practice, commitment and a lack of social skills are all phenomena often mentioned in connection with people of outstanding giftedness. In most cases, these arise as a result of a cerebral structure that differs significantly from the usual. Among the specially gifted, atypical cerebral structure is more the rule than the exception. It is not only the highly intelligent who display special cerebral structure; many of the great creators, irrespective of their level of intelligence, show atypical cerebral structure, which is usually associated with some kind of disfunction. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

Purpose is an internal compass that integrates engagement in activities that affect others, self-awareness of one's reasons, and the intention to continue these activities. We argue that purpose represents giftedness in intrapersonal intelligence, which processes information related to self, identity, self-regulation, and one's place in the world. Purpose is an extraordinary achievement. It is an ideal that young people are expected to accomplish by the end of high school, yet in our mixed methods study, only 26% of our sample overall (N=270 youth age 12-22) expressed a purpose. Still, purpose can be achieved precociously. Some youth achieve purpose much earlier than the norm: 11 6th graders in our sample showed a purpose. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

Is there an ethical giftedness, and if so, what does it look like? In this article, I consider why ethical behavior is much harder to come by than one would expect. Ethically gifted individuals are able to complete a series of eight steps to action, the failure of any one of which may result in a person, even one who is ethically well trained, to act in a manner that lacks the translation of ethical knowledge into action. Wise people are those who use their abilities for a common good as determined by positive ethical values. Many people identified as gifted through traditional means are nevertheless lacking in ethical gifts, in part because socialization may not reward them for the development of ethical patterns of behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

The purpose of this article is to discuss the unique personal and psychosocial characteristics of twice-exceptional individuals (a person who has a disability and is regarded as gifted or talented). This article focuses on the description of those characteristics which relate to psychosocial adaptation and attitudes toward disabilities and giftedness. Emphasis is placed on rehabilitation professionals' awareness and knowledge of such characteristics. This knowledge is needed to skillfully develop tailored interventions that will lead into positive education, counseling, or employment outcomes for these individuals. Implications for rehabilitation education, practice, and research are also discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

There is a fallacy about identifying gifted and talented children and youth that refuses to go away: It is the notion that a single score is sufficient for determining giftedness (see Treffinger, 1982). In the following paragraphs, I address briefly several reasons for the longevity and ubiquity of this myth, as well as the data that call the myth into question. These include (a) the predictive validity of test scores, (b) the belief that ability is fixed, and (c) the lack of attention to and evidence for other explanations for outstanding achievement. The focus of this article is on the academic domains and IQ, as there are few who argue that a single score predicts performance in the visual and performing arts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

In the study of neural activity underlying task performance, neuroscientists have discovered that different neural states arise in low and high performers on the same cognitive tasks. What then sets the high performer apart? This article discusses the various neural mechanisms advanced to account for differences between gifted and non-gifted performers. Is there a gender association? Do 'talents' have access to more neural resources? Or do they just use their resources more efficiently? And what is the role of practice and motivation in achieving expertise? (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

Do gifted students adjust poorly to their social environment? There are currently two competing positions: one that sustains that giftedness is by itself a risk factor for social adaptation, and another that holds that high cognitive abilities involve distinctive features that are protective and hence increase individual resilience. Empirical support has been provided for both positions. This paper provides data from a study performed with 50 Spanish-speaking gifted children and adolescents using a comparison group of 50 average-ability peers matched by sex and chronological age. The results show no significant differences between gifted students and their peers on global measures of adjustment. Instead, they suggest that gifted students are neither significantly more poorly nor better adjusted than their peers during different age periods. Our analysis of the results provides moderate support for the resilience position. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

The inclusive school responding to the students differences and to the opportunities' equality should consider the education of the gifted and talented students. In this work, we take curricular adaptation and curricular differentiation as the main intervention points centered on individual differences. We also defend the complementary use of the educational practices (acceleration, grouping and enrichment) explaining each one of them and presenting some studies about their efficacy. We briefly describe the practices for gifted studentes in Portugal and highlight the importance of the school staff sensitivity to understand giftedness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

Based on data from a sample of 106 students in grades 2 through 8, we explored the psychometric integrity of the Universal Academic, Cognitive, Creativity, Emotion Screening Scale (Universal ACCESS; R. S. McCallum & B. A. Bracken, in press). We obtained Cronbach's alphas ranging from .95 to .98 across the eight scales of the Universal ACCESS. Concurrent validity, based on comparisons of the eight scales with “like” constructs from the Gifted Rating Scales (S. I. Pfeiffer & T. Jarosewich, 2003), the Bar-On Emotional Quotient Inventory: Youth Version (J. D. Bar-On & R. Parker, 2000), and the Terra Nova Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills (CTB, 1996), produced correlations ranging from .46 to .85 ( p < .001). All Universal ACCESS scale means were significantly higher ( p < .001) for 53 students participating in a gifted and talented program than for matched nongifted peers. We discuss implications for screening gifted students using an instrument that deemphasizes language abilities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

This article focuses on the underrepresentation of African American males in gifted and talented programs, and offers a number of key recommendations to practitioners and researchers who seek viable strategies to circumvent this problem. Beyond the focus on underrepresentation, several additional topics for discussion are excogitated to provide a clear perspective on the challenges these students experience in school; namely, (a) definitions of giftedness, (b) identity development, (c) student Millennial culture, and (d) how gifted African American Millennial males in school contexts are treated. Additionally, data collected from a recent study of a large Midwestern school district will be presented to further highlight the topics under investigation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

This piece is a poetic and narrative inquiry (Leggo, 2004) into the conceptual, physical, and emotional underpinnings of research methodology in the field of gifted education. First, the author explores the metaphorical possibility of swimming rather than standing in the field of inquiry and how relationships to self, environment, and other would shift in ways potentially commensurate with the task of researching giftedness. Then, responses to a questionnaire asking researchers about their understandings, hopes, and fears in the use of “nontraditional” methodologies in the field of gifted education are explored through the creation of poetic aphorisms. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

This paper explores the unique mind of the twentieth-century American artist Joseph Cornell, known for his boxes and collages made with "found" materials. The author interpolates reflections upon Cornell with vignettes from the treatment of a young child, speculating that certain individuals may possess a constellation of vulnerabilities/sensitivities that constitute what is referred to as a "cosmic" sensibility. It is suggested that such an orientation can lead variously to anxieties and separation problems, as well as (or in addition to) intellectual and/or artistic giftedness. The outcome of such dynamics would depend on a complex interplay of temperament, circumstance, and relational attunement. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)