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Giftedness is precious to mankind. It is vital that optimal development of the highly gifted should be assured. Psychosocial development can either promote or inhibit the full utilisation of individual abilities. The objective of this research project is to describe some aspects of friendships of intellectually highly gifted adolescents. Friendship is important, especially during adolescence. Understanding of and support derived from friendship is essential. Friendship has unique value for psychosocial development. Early healthy relationships are regarded as one of the best predictors of adjustment in adulthood. The highly gifted are categorised as a subgroup of the gifted. The majority are psychosocially well adjusted. Friendships develop through mutual interaction within the context of the family, school and peer group. The main task of the gifted is to find acceptance in a confirming adolescent culture. Their true peer group are equals in age, abilities and interests. Hypotheses arising from literature are set in accordance to three themes whereby the investigation was conducted. Six case studies of intellectually highly gifted matriculants were performed. Qualitative data collection and analysis were done by means of observation and questionnaires which served as a basis for unstructured interviewing. Theme 1. "Adolescents form friendships in essentially the following environments: family, school, neighbourhood and organisations". This investigation confirms the theme. The psychosocial well-being of the majority of intellectually highly gifted adolescents is confirmed by the available literature, although some may experience problems. Theme 2. "Friendships of the highly gifted are characterised by a few friends, older friends, friends with equal abilities and interests. Friends in their own age group is essential". According to this study they have enough friends. Theme 3. "The social task to fit in lies at the core of serious maladjustment among gifted adolescents. Sometimes they feel different". The group under investigation are accepted in their smaller social circles, but not always in the larger adolescent group. A tendency of being different is present. Adults are responsible for social contact and interaction. Given the importance of friendships, the field of research regarding peer group relationships of intellectually highly gifted adolescents has remained relatively unexplored. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

The research examined social and emotional adjustment of highly gifted adults. Precursors to emotional and moral reasoning development, and examples of self-actualization, were examined through a case study analysis of 41 highly gifted men and women between the ages of 40 and 60. Their IQs were estimated in the 140 to 190 range. Author-designed written questionnaires probed educational, social, and family experiences during childhood, early and middle adult years. Subjects participated via a two-stage mail survey. Findings built upon work on high giftedness of Terman, Hollingworth, Gross; talent development by Cox, Goertzel and Goertzel, and Bloom; cognitive development by Kohlberg, Rest, and Gilligan; emotional development by Maslow, Dabrowski, and Piechowski; and generational cohort effects by Strauss and Howe. The study examined (a) subjects' self-perceptions drawn from their experiences with family and school, (b) negative feedback from others, grades, issues with authority, study habits, and difficulties "fitting in" socially, and (c) career success, living up to one's potential, and adult satisfaction. Subject responses were categorized in terms of a developmental framework ranging from self-interest and self-preservation, through stereotypic roles and personality transformation, to self- actualization. The study touched on relationships between abuse, intellectual level, the Defining Issues Test ( DIT) on moral reasoning, religion, spirituality, suicide, gender, marriage, and family composition for high IQ adults. The primary findings were: (1) Participants uniformly wished they had received more feedback during childhood about their potential and abilities and more input in determining life choices. (2) Regardless of childhood experiences, some subjects chose their life's course early and have not changed; other subjects with similar experiences underwent intensive personal, and sometimes career, changes. (3) The DIT, although not designed for this purpose, distinguished between two types of subjects, those who had early identity formation without subsequent changes, and those who had made changes in their lives. The former group scored lower on the DIT. (4) Abuse and lack of support handicapped some people, but provided an impetus for change in others. Most subjects who were abused but attained higher emotional development levels named individuals who made them feel they could succeed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

The purpose of this study was to describe the relationships between the intelligence, creativity, motivation, and gender role identity and the academic achievement of gifted fifth grade students. The study was based on Renzulli's triad model of giftedness (Renzulli, 1978). That model defines giftedness as the integration of three clusters: high intelligence, creative ability, and high levels of task commitment (motivation). The model argues that it is the interaction among these three clusters that is necessary for outstanding performance. The study used a correlational research design and a sample of 71 gifted fifth grade students to estimate the individual and collective relationships between the intelligence, creativity, motivation, and gender role identity (masculinity and femininity) and the academic achievement. Analyses using the Pearson product-moment correlation technique and multiple linear regression procedures yielded the following results: (1) intelligence was a significant predictor of mathematics and reading achievement; (2) motivation was a significant predictor of mathematics and reading achievement; (3) creativity was not a significant predictor of mathematics and reading achievement; (4) masculinity was a significant predictor of mathematics achievement but was not a significant predictor of reading achievement; (5) femininity was not a significant predictor of mathematics or reading achievement; (6) when examined in combination, only motivation was a significant predictor of mathematics achievement; and (7) when examined in combination, only intelligence and motivation were significant predictors of reading achievement. The results of this study seem to support Renzulli's contention that intelligence and motivation are key factors in the academic performance of gifted children but do not support his argument that creativity is a key factor in the academic performance of gifted children. The results also suggest that gender role identity is not a key factor in the academic performance of gifted children. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

The purpose of this clinical case study was the assessment and treatment of an emotionally disturbed, intellectually gifted adolescent. The case study subject was a fourteen-year-old Caucasian female in residential treatment. A combination of cognitive behavioral and brief therapy techniques was utilized. The assessment process examined various areas of development and determined areas of developmental advancement as well as developmental arrest. After a thorough psychodiagnostic assessment the adolescent was diagnosed with (1) Major Depression, moderate, recurrent, (2) Conduct Disorder, and (3) Alcohol Dependence. In addition to the above diagnoses, the specific strengths and weaknesses of the gifted individual were assessed in order to adequately integrate them into the treatment process. Specific therapeutic goals included (1) Decreasing depressive symptoms, (2) Achieving an understanding of the escalation of her anger and what constitutes appropriate expression of anger, (3) Achieving an understanding of the past and present sources of low self-esteem and increasing self-esteem as measured by subjective report and by overt behavior. The above specified goals were targeted during treatment, with special attention given to educating the subject about the ways in which giftedness impacted her presenting problems. The next step in treatment was a collaborative identification of her self-critical thought patterns with an emphasis on building cognitive strategies to refute these patterns. Treatment continued with the implementation of these strategies, and finally, treatment concluded with a termination phase. Progress throughout the course of therapy was assessed through reference to movement along the phase and grade system in the residential treatment center where the subject was a patient. The subject's performance on thought records was also assessed. The duration of time between a dysfunctional behavior occurring and the subject's identification of the dysfunctional thoughts that motivated her behavior was determined from self-report and observation in therapy sessions. In addition, the subject was assessed on the Beck Depression Inventory seven times over the course of treatment. Overall, the subject was successful in attaining most of her therapeutic goals. During the course of treatment, her ability to identify irrational beliefs and automatic thoughts which motivated her dysfunctional behaviors increased. This increase was evidenced by her participation in therapy and the completion of cognitive homework assignments. In addition, the subject's phase and grades improved and her Beck Depression Inventory scores decreased. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Most research conducted on counseling the gifted is anecdotal in nature focusing on the experiences of a single counselor. To gain a broader perspective of the topic, this study investigated the effective and ineffective behaviors of school guidance counselors throughout the United States in their interactions with gifted students. The Critical Incident Technique (CIT), as described by John Flanagan (1954), was the main investigative tool of this qualitative study. The steps of this study were (a) review pertinent literature, (b) conduct a pilot study, (c) define the general aim of counseling the gifted, (d) distribute critical incident questionnaires, (e) conduct group CIT interviews with school guidance, (f) analyze the collected critical incidents, and (g) synthesize a model for counseling the gifted. Over 300 critical incidents were sorted into 75 categories and then collapsed into four general areas: educational issues, career issues, social issues, and understanding giftedness. In each area, certain counselor behaviors emerged to meet the general aim of counseling the gifted. In educational issues, the counselor (a) provided appropriate assessment and placement of gifted students and (b) instigated appropriate curricular modifications. In career issues, the counselor guided appropriate career exposure and career path experiences. In social issues, the counselor guided the student in interpersonal relations and guided the student's personal growth. In understanding giftedness, the counselor helped the student understand giftedness in themselves, in the family, and within groups. School guidance counselors reported being effective when they interacted with students in ways consistent with the tenets of gifted education. They were effective when they varied the pace, depth, novelty, or sophistication of their interactions in a manner that matched the student's developmental level and were not bound by traditional ideas of grade or age level. Gifted students seek the help of the school guidance counselor for many issues: issues that all students face, issues that were intensified by their giftedness, and issues that were unique to the gifted. Yet, school guidance counselors reported that they felt ill prepared to meet the needs of the gifted. The effectiveness of the school guidance counselor can be increased by specific training in the characteristics and needs of the gifted. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Self-esteem has been shown to be positively related to both academic success and success in the adult world. Given the importance of self-esteem, the role of the education system in the development of positive self-esteem is of great concern. Specifically, some researchers have raised questions about the impact of identifying students as "Gifted" or "Learning Disabled" on students' self-esteem. This study explores the impact of giftedness and learning disabilities on the self-esteem of children. In particular, this study focuses on the presence or absence of differences in self-esteem between students identified as gifted and not, as well as students identified as having learning disabilities and not. The existence of differences in self-esteem related to the interaction between gifted and learning disability identification is also investigated. Students labeled as gifted had higher self-esteem scores than their non-gifted peers. This is similar to results found by other researchers. There was also a significant interaction between labeling as gifted and labeling as learning disabled. The school self-esteem scores of the students in this study varied as a function of both their identification as gifted and their identification as learning disabled. Gifted students had the highest school self-esteem, followed by students with learning disabilities. Students identified as both gifted and as having learning disabilities scored third highest, and students identified as neither gifted nor learning disabled had the lowest school self-esteem. Gifted students with learning disabilities identified two categories of self-esteem supports. The first category focuses on their strengths and these students' ability to do some things well. The second category focuses on an understanding of their weaknesses, appropriate attribution of success and failure, and strategies they can use to overcome their disabilities. The results point to a number of areas where school districts can act to support the self-esteem of these students. These include identification of gifted learning disabled students, teachers who understand that students can be both gifted and learning disabled, curricula which include activities that allow students to display their support services so that students may obtain the guidance and support they need to excel. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the learning environment on the emergence of gifted potential in preschool children. The primary research question focused on the nature of the learning environment that facilitates the emergence of these early indicators. Two preschool learning environments were examined: the traditional classroom and the constructivist classroom. In order to develop a more comprehensive response to the primary question, two subquestions were investigated which related to the nature and the observable developmental pattern of early signs of giftedness. Subjects included 21 three and four-year old children who participated in each of the two types of classrooms for a total of 12 weeks. Activities in the traditional classroom were more teacher-directed and highly structured, while those in the constructivist classroom were more child-directed and allowed for more independent learning. Nonparticipant observers noted the behaviors of each child who was involved in the classroom activities. The Brigance Preschool Screen and the Thinking Creatively in Action and Movement creativity measure were administered to each child for later assistance in discussing results. Recorded data were organized into levels of high, medium, and low under four broad categories: (a) cognitive development, (b) socioemotional development, (c) creativity, and (d) motivation. Results indicated that the constructivist classroom appeared to evoke a higher level of development in all four areas from the class as a whole. Individual subjects, however, exhibited a wide variety of behavioral profiles within these four areas. Test data yielded results similar to the evaluation of observed behaviors in terms of cognitive ability or readiness as measured by the Brigance Preschool Screen. Results from the TCAM, however, were not necessarily distributed in the same way as the behavioral evaluations. Findings from this study contribute to the ideas in the literature that behavioral identification is an effective way to evoke and observe the emergence of gifted potential. Although the study should be replicated with a larger group of similar students and/or a group of children with more diverse backgrounds and socioeconomic situations, findings from this study provide important implications for preschool teacher training, underachievement prevention, and programming for potentially gifted children. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Resilience has recently become part of a shift in perspective in the psychology and education of children from high-risk environments. Many researchers point to the phenomenon of the resilient child and discuss the importance of identifying positive factors that lead to capacity and strength despite environmental traumas. Although there has always been much attention paid by the mental health field, as well as the media, education, and legal systems, to individuals who failed in life due to stressors, especially multiple stressors, in their environments, there has been limited research in identifying factors that promote certain individuals to succeed despite the odds. The purpose of this study was to explore and explain, through a case-study profile approach, the experiences of three self-determined, academically gifted, resilient individuals who overcame their stressed and negative environments to succeed in extraordinary ways. A particular focus of the study was to identify and isolate academic giftedness as a protective factor that has promoted resilience in such individuals and to highlight the importance of identifying academically gifted children who emerge from such environments, especially those that include economic disadvantage. The research undertaken for this project was of a qualitative nature, based upon the premise of emergent design. The investigation utilized an in-depth interview approach, and each case profile was developed in terms of family background, educational background and signs of giftedness, career success, environmental stressors, and protective factors. Conclusions of this study are that, especially to gifted individuals coming from multiple-stressor environments, school becomes a refuge and school success a necessary and self-validating experience. It is especially crucial to identify gifted children early when they come from such environments since that identification may be their single source of salvation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

The effect of the mother's use of the term "gifted" was examined. Mothers who used gifted ("Users", n = 27), mothers who avoided using gifted ("Avoiders", n = 21), and their school aged children whom they identified as gifted were compared with mothers ("Comparison", n = 20) and their non-identified children using a structured interview and questionnaires. Mothers of gifted children believed giftedness ran in families and caused social problems. User mothers valued intelligence highly, placed less emphasis on hard work, were less satisfied with their child's school performance, and believed "gifted" described their children. Avoider mothers rated their child's school performance more positively and emphasized academic giftedness. When compared to Comparison children, Avoider children rated themselves as more scholastically competent on the Harter Self-Perception Profile for children while User children rated scholastic competence lower on the Importance Scale of that measure. Findings are discussed in relation to differences in the breadth of the mothers' conceptions of giftedness and use of "gifted", the belief that giftedness causes social problems, and the potential for misunderstanding between User mothers and children. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Statement of problem. The number of studies investigating the emotional adjustment of gifted adolescents is sparse in relation to studies devoted to younger gifted children. Furthermore, incongruent findings have characterized the body of empirical evidence, thus, stimulating the debate and exploration of the association of maladjustment and giftedness. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to compare the self-perceptions of emotional adjustment of academically gifted and nongifted adolescents from both a global and multidimensional perspective. The intent of this global-multidimensional approach, in part, was to explore the saliency of specific dimensions of adjustment in gifted adolescents and to increase the accuracy of the measurement of emotional adjustment. Method. The sample included 112 academically gifted and nongifted adolescents in a public high school (grades 9-12). The study employed the Self-Report of Personality of the Behavior Assessment System for Children to compare the two groups on the global Emotional Symptoms Index and specific indexes of adjustment, including: Self-Esteem, Sense of Inadequacy, Depression, Anxiety, Social Stress, and Interpersonal Relations. Results. Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that the self-perceptions of academically gifted adolescents differ significantly from their nongifted agemates' with regard to overall adjustment, self-esteem, sense of inadequacy, depression, and interpersonal relations. More specifically, the scores obtained by the academically gifted adolescents indicated that they judged themselves as better adjusted with regard to global functioning, as well as all of the aforementioned specific dimensions. The academically gifted and nongifted adolescents exhibited no significant difference in their reporting of anxiety and social stress. Conclusions. Findings suggest that academically gifted adolescents perceive themselves as well-adjusted when examined from both a global and multidimensional perspective. Current results, therefore, reflect the importance of refraining from perfunctorily associating maladjusted behaviors with giftedness when they are displayed by gifted adolescents. Consequently, behavioral manifestations of maladjustment in gifted adolescents should warrant attention. Finally, this research emphasizes the need for consideration of both global and specific dimensions of emotional functioning when attempting to identify and address the psychological and educational needs of gifted adolescents. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

The purpose of this study is to uncover the perceptions of an academically gifted African-American male undergraduate student attending an Historically Black College and University (HBCU) and the perceptions of an academically gifted African-American male undergraduate student attending a Traditional White Institution (TWI) concerning his relationship with the institution in the cultivation of his academic giftedness. Qualitative research methods were used to collect data for this study which included interviews, observations, and written documents. Phenomenology and grounded theory were selected as the guiding theoretical orientation and method implemented in the research design. Both case study participants were interviewed using a standardized open-ended interview instrument. Subsequent interviews were conducted with friends, instructors, and administrators the case study participants interacted with on their respective campuses. The purpose of the interviewing process was to obtain triangulated data which could be used to provide a holistic view of the perceptions regarding the institution's role in the cultivation of academic giftedness. Observations were conducted with both case study participants to view their engagements on and off their respective campuses. Written documents were solicited to provide a richer description of their academic experiences. Results of the study indicated that academic giftedness was thoroughly supported both within and outside of the university setting at the Historically Black College and University. Yet, academic giftedness at the Traditional White Institution was thoroughly supported only within the parameters of the university setting. These results were attributed to findings cited in the two emergent grounded theories. Due to the research oriented approach to education East Texas State University appeared to embrace, the student's academic giftedness was not thoroughly supported by the institution. Yet, the liberal arts approach maintained by Grambling State University provided support for the student's giftedness within and outside of the university environment. The findings in this study serve as a foundation for future investigations which should be developed and implemented in order to address the unique needs of the academically gifted African-American male undergraduate student. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)

Do visual artists see the world differently than non-artists do? If differences exist between artists and non-artists on measures of attention and object perception, do these differences suggest greater attentional flexibility in visual artists as compared to non-artists? The broadest goals of the current problem of research are to advance our understanding of visual selective attention, visual artistic expertise, and the development of visual artistic expertise. Specifically, the current work attempts to better characterize attentional flexibility and its apparent relation to artistic expertise. That is, what is attentional flexibility, and where in the time course of attentional processing can it be located (in visual artists and non-artists)? Selective attention to identity vs. similarity relations and to local vs. global relations was explored over a series of five experiments. These experiments were designed in order to examine: (1) more "automatic" and generally earlier selective attention as measured by same-different tasks, and (2) more "controlled" and generally later selective attention as measured by classification tasks. A variety of stimulus sets were utilized across these five experiments, such that Experiments 1 and 3 employed hue-form triads and tetrads, Experiments 2 and 5 employed hierarchical geometric forms, and Experiment 4 employed hierarchical letter stimuli. Forty upper-level student art majors and forty upper-level psychology majors at the University of Louisville participated in each of the experiments within the current study. In agreement with previous work, findings indicate that visual artists do indeed demonstrate greater flexibility of attention when measures of later attentional processing are considered. However, few differences between visual artists and non-artists are revealed by measures of earlier, more automatic selective attention. Findings are discussed in terms of a detailed comparison of this variety of measures of selective attention and object perception, and also in terms of the importance of describing stimulus properties, the task at hand, and the developmental level and/or level of expertise of the observer. Implications for models of selective attention, the development of selective attention, and the development and identification of expertise and giftedness are also described. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

During the more than fifty years society has recognized the concept of superior ability, or giftedness, a related issue has come to light: the fact that many of our brightest students are not achieving to their potential. Researchers have not arrived at a single clear explanation for this behavior or met with success in consistently reversing underachievement. Given that some of the best minds in the social sciences have been steadily attacking this problem without reliable success, how is it that some students have managed to self-intervene and reverse former poor performance? And, what factor(s) do they perceive as being critical to both their underachievement and subsequent success? Was there some particular moment when they suddenly decided to change? How did individuals who had been consistently told as students they would never amount to anything become self-fulfilled, competent, and successful citizens? The purpose of this study was to examine the phenomenon of gifted students who once underachieved but who have since become achievers. The life-story qualitative research data were collected from four gifted adult participants via individual questionnaires and in-depth semi-structured personal interviews. Questions examined individual experiences of giftedness, related educational benefits and other issues, familial factors, social factors, and other pertinent information related to both giftedness and underachievement as well as perceptions related to both the moment and process of change. Data were then analyzed through inductive analytical processes. Once analyzed, the data described students who possessed both high intelligence and intellectual self-esteem, but who would not play The School Game. Participants came from families where important survival tactics such as study skills, self-regulation techniques, metacognitive processes or others were not taught, and parental involvement in children's education was minimal. Lack of success in school led to years of personal difficulty, including substance abuse and suicidal tendencies, leading to hitting bottom. After hitting bottom, each made the conscious choice to change, which included a return to college to successfully complete formal education. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

The unique characteristics of gifted children's emotional development are located in numerous theoretical papers and small sample case studies found in the literature on giftedness. A novel, more comprehensive conceptual approach was applied to this exploratory investigation. Emotion development was distinguished into four components: awareness and organization, motivation, regulation, and communication. This study explored the emotional development of gifted and average ability students through their ratings of five basic emotions on measures of emotional awareness and organization. Students (N = 357) in grades three, six, nine, or twelve were designated into gifted and average ability groups based on their most recent Canadian Cognitive Abilities Test scores. Three multifaceted measures were used to elicit participants' responses through Likert scale ratings, open-ended questions, and an emotion-word card-sort. Participants' emotion awareness (sensitivity and valence) and emotion organization (intensity and complexity) were perceived through five basic emotions (happy, sad, scared, loving, and angry). Separate MANOVA's were conducted for emotion: sensitivity (e.g., sensitivity-happy), valence (e.g., valence-scared), intensity (e.g., dimensionality-amounts of pleasantness and arousal), and complexity (e.g., unitary, blended, multiple, and complex emotions perceived in three sad situations). Significant differences between gifted students and their average ability peers were displayed on the first and second dimensions of the intensity variable and on the scared emotion situations of the complexity variable. No differences were shown on their emotion ratings on the sensitivity and valence variables. Significant effects were observed on the variables between genders and among students' grade levels supporting the applicability of this conceptual approach and these measures of emotion with respect to development. Further discussions and studies are required to identify the theoretical models, variables, and items that measure the multiple facets comprising gifted students' emotion development. The findings from this exploratory study suggest that basic rating scales require more breadth and depth to measure gifted students' emotion perceptions. The differences displayed in the students' organization of emotions require further scrutiny to understand the structures underlying their statistical data and graphic representations. Studies that include sample groups representing the various types (e.g., creative) and levels (e.g., exceptional) of giftedness would also further our understanding. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

The magnitude of ethnic minority students' special education placement has been criticized on methodological grounds. Particularly, Reschly & Bershoff (1999) identified the prevalence rate calculation in Office of Civil Rights reports as over estimating the special education placement of ethnic minority students. Reschly & Bershoff (1999) identified the prevalence rate calculation found in descriptive epidemiology research for use. The present study calculated prevalence rates through the descriptive epidemiology method. The present study examined the role of cultural concerns in the assessment and placement practices of ethnic minority students in special and gifted education. The role of cultural concerns was particularly noted in federal and state definitions of special education categories. Campbell & Fiske's (1952) MMTM approach was outlined to conceptualize the cultural concerns research. The present study found that African-American students were overrepresented in the Emotional Disturbance (ED) and Specific Learning Disabled (SLD) categories, underrepresented in the Gifted (GI) category, and placed at a proportional rate in the Mentally Retarded (MR) and Speech Language Impaired (SLI categories. Hispanic students were overrepresented in the SLD and SLI categories, underrepresented in the GI and MR categories, and placed at a proportional rate in the ED category. Native American students were overrepresented in the SLD and SLI categories and underrepresented in the ED, MR and GI categories. Asian/Pacific Islander students were overrepresented in the GI category, underrepresented in ED category, and placed at a proportional rate in the SLI, MR, and SLD categories. Anglo students were overrepresented in the GI, ED, SLI, and SLD categories and underrepresented in the MR category. The significant finding on the proportional placement of African-American students in the MR category suggest that prevalence rates are reviewed. The underestimate of ethnic minority students in the GI category suggest a broadening to include cultural definitions of giftedness. Of the cultural concerns reviewed, cultural role taking, which may include consultation with interpreters, cultural advisors, healers along with training, was found critical in the assessment of cultural variables in psychopathology and placement of ethnic minority students in special and gifted education. Lastly, school practices such as problem solving approaches as well as culturally responsive teaching are recommended for use as prereferral interventions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)

Traditional programs for gifted children have been criticized for relying on narrow criteria of ability and achievement and for under-identifying disadvantaged students. Alternative programs have provided little follow up to demonstrate long term outcomes. This study examined the achievement, academic and career aspirations, and self concept of rural, low income, gifted students upon completion of high school. These students had been identified at the end of third grade utilizing distinctive, comprehensive strategies and had been exposed to a specially designed curriculum intervention from fourth through sixth grade, followed up by modified science classes in 8th and 9th grades. The 28 students in this special program (SPRING) who were available at the completion of high school were compared with a more traditionally identified gifted (GT) group (n = 25), and 53 students (NonGT) never identified as gifted. Analyses of variance, covariance, and chi-square tests demonstrated that upon completing high school, GT students were achieving higher, had taken more science and math courses than SPRING and NonGT students. GT students were also more likely to take college entrance exams and to go on to college than SPRING students. Career orientation differed for the two groups, with SPRING students more likely to prefer realistic or practical occupations. The effects of the program differed for the two schools involved, with one school showing more favorable self concept in high school for SPRING than GT students while the other school had both SPRING and GT higher than the NonGT students. The findings suggest the limitations of proposed alternative interventions when faced with the more powerful effects of family social and economic status and the lack of resources and opportunities in rural communities and schools. The findings also suggest the complexity of the relationship between giftedness and self concept. The study concludes with implications of the research, recommendations for effective practices and areas for future research. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

When seeking answers to the question "Why are there so few eminent women?" Silverman (1995) addressed the inner experiences of gifted children suggesting that the combination of their emotional intensity and cognitive complexity renders them vulnerable to underachievement. She proposed that the emotional component of giftedness is more inclusive of the female experience and that this vulnerability implies the need for modifications in parenting in order for gifted girls to develop optimally. Researchers have investigated relationships between parents and gifted children, between fathers and sons, between mothers and daughters; but no research has been conducted investigating the structure of the relationship between a father and his gifted daughter that is supportive of her giftedness. Thus the current research utilized a qualitative methodology to develop a grounded theory of father support of giftedness in order to: (a) discover what the modifications in fathering gifted girls might be that would facilitate gifted girls' optimal development; and (b) identify what processes account for success without deriving hypotheses from the literature and then experimenting on them. This research investigated personal constructs of father support of giftedness from an intergenerational perspective in eight intact families with gifted daughters who had completed their first or second year of college. Data from three 90-minute in-depth interviews with each father and each daughter, and one 90-minute interview with each mother resulted in over 2,000 pages of cleaned data which were coded and analyzed. A theoretical model of father support of giftedness emerged from the data which expressed (a) intervening conditions influencing support, (b) causal conditions fostering support, (c) phenomenon of father support, (d) context fostering support, (e) context within which support is perceived, (f) action/interaction strategies, and (g) consequences of support. Subcategories for each category of the model were identified. Findings from this qualitative research implied that in these families, the supportive relationship between a gifted girl and her father was basic to her optimal development. Findings in these families indicated that, where fathers held high expectations of their daughters and provided encouragement, advocacy, and guidance, their daughters demonstrated perseverance, and persistence, with a sense of equanimity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Ethnic identity, self-esteem, and reflected appraisal are constructs that promote resiliency and each begins to play a larger role in daily life during adolescence. However, few studies explore these aspects of identity development during early/middle adolescence. Although it is theorized that ethnic identity and self-esteem increase and reflected appraisal (degree to which one's self-esteem is affected by the opinions of others) decreases across adolescence, there are no studies that simultaneously chart age-related differences in and relationships among ethnic identity, self-esteem, and reflected appraisal during adolescence. Therefore, it is unknown whether conventional scales measuring these constructs are appropriate for the measurement of ethnic identity, self-esteem, and reflected appraisal during early/middle adolescence. The current study addressed the salience of conventional scales for the measurement of these constructs and explored age-related changes in and relationships among these construct across adolescence. The participants were 159 adolescents, ranging in age from 10-18, with a mean age of 13.69. The sample derived from a large metropolitan city, with participants from 9 different academic environments. Ethnic identity was assessed using the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure, self-esteem was assessed using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and reflected appraisal was assessed by the Reflected Appraisal Subscale of the Contingencies of Self-Worth Scale. Results suggests that all scale were at least minimally acceptable reliability for the measurement of ethnic identity, self-esteem, and reflected appraisal during early and middle adolescence. Although, no age-related trends were found for these variables, several correlational relationships emerged among these variables. Ethnic identity and reflected appraisal were correlated with and unique predictors of with self-esteem during adolescence. Reflected appraisal and ethnic identity (including other group orientation) were not correlated. These results suggest that ethnic identity, self-esteem, and reflected appraisal are salient, reliably measurable constructs during adolescence. Age-related trends did not emerge from these data, however, factors such as academic giftedness and sample heterogeneity may have confounded results. Finally, correlational and regression analysis uncovered relationships among these variables. The findings from these data may be helpful for the development of treatment programs aimed at the development of resiliency during adolescence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

This study explored feelings of isolation among gifted and nongifted students. Further, gender differences and feelings of isolation were explored. Lastly, differences between feelings of isolation among African American and White students were explored. There are seven research questions that were examined: (1) How do gifted students differ from students not identified as gifted in their feelings of isolation? (2) How do males differ from females in their feelings of isolation? (3) How do African American students differ from White students in their feelings of isolation? (4) How do gifted males, gifted females, males not identified as gifted and females not identified as gifted differ in their feelings of isolation? (5) How do gifted African American students, gifted White students, African American students not identified as gifted and White students not identified as gifted differ in their feelings of isolation? (6) How do African American males, African American females, White males and White females differ in their feelings of isolation? (7) How do gifted African American males, gifted African American females, gifted White males, gifted White females, African American males not identified as gifted, African American females not identified as gifted, White males not identified as gifted and White females not identified as gifted differ in their feelings of isolation? Based upon the research questions, the following hypotheses were tested: (1) Gifted students and students not identified as gifted differ with respect to feelings of isolation. (2) Male students and females students differ with respect to feelings of isolation. (3) African American students and White students differ with respect to feelings of isolation. (4) There is a significant interaction between giftedness and gender with respect to feelings of isolation. (5) There is a significant interaction between giftedness and race with respect to feelings of isolation. (6) There is a significant interaction between race and gender with respect to feelings of isolation. (7) There is a significant interaction among giftedness, race and gender with respect to feelings of isolation. A causal comparison research design was employed. Two hundred sixty-nine African American and White students in grades 9 through 12 were surveyed. The School Achievement Among Black Students Survey ( SPSABSS) (Ford, 1991) was chosen to measure feelings of isolation. To determine whether statistically significant differences in feelings of isolation across groups existed, one 3-way analysis of variance was employed on group mean scores for the dependent variable, feelings of isolation. The overall interaction of giftedness, race and gender was not statistically significant F(l, 261) = 0.011, p > 0.05. The interaction of gender and race with respect to feelings of isolation was statistically significant F(l, 261) = 5.83, p < 0.05. The interaction of giftedness and race on feelings of isolation was statistically significant F(1, 261) = 13.89, p < 0.00. The interaction of giftedness and gender on feelings of isolation was statistically significant F(1, 261) = 4.17, p < 0.05. (Abstract shortened by UMI.) (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

It has been claimed that highly gifted children become aware of philosophical, ethical, societal, and environmental issues at an unusually young age. Hollingworth (1942) considered an early interest in what she called "questions of origin and destiny" to be a marker for giftedness (p. 279). According to Hollingworth, children develop such concerns when they reach the mental age of 12 or 13. Since Hollingworth's time, many have echoed her assertions. With few exceptions, these claims rest upon case studies and intuition. To determine whether highly gifted children show early issue awareness, a comparison of highly gifted and typical children was undertaken. Highly gifted 7- to 9-year-olds were compared to two control groups, one matched on age, the other made up of 12- to 13-year-olds. Three approaches were used to gather information about children's issue awareness: Parents rated children's issue awareness and children responded both to a structured interview and to drawings depicting environmental and human rights issues. Whereas children's responses provided mixed results, with responses to drawings revealing early issue awareness in the highly gifted more so than interview-based responses, parents' perceptions of children's issue awareness strongly supported the hypothesis that highly gifted children have early issue awareness. It is not clear whether these discrepancies reflect parental bias, measurement error, or as proposed here, the effect of differential parenting strategies. The speculation that parents observe highly gifted children's early issue awareness and respond by protecting them from exposure to issues is consistent with the pattern of results. Although results failed to support Hollingworth's assertion that issue awareness arises when children have reached the mental age of 12 or 13, taken together, results provide modest support for the hypothesis that highly gifted children do indeed have early issue awareness compared to agemates. No differences were found between highly gifted and typical children in terms of emotional intensity or altruistic nature of their responses to issues that they considered important. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)