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Spirituality is an important domain in the holistic education of gifted students. The definition of transformational giftedness makes it possible to emphasize spiritual domain in student development. Spirituality provides possibilities to reflect on the values and meanings of life that could provide purpose for gifted students in their studies and for their future lives. The concepts of religion and spirituality are defined, and their different roles clarified in the context of education. Spiritual sensitivity is introduced as a human capacity that can be measured scientifically with the spiritual sensitivity questionnaire instrument. Research findings among young generation and gifted students indicate that mystery-sensing, contemplation, and search for meaning in life are important aspects in spirituality of our generation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

The present study reports the construction process of a screening-type scale for evidence indicating academic giftedness (Scale for Nominating Intellectual Giftedness: teacher version [ENDI-p]), as well as presenting evidence of content validity. The construction of the items was based on the ten broad domains of the theoretical model of intelligence known as Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC): fluid intelligence, quantitative knowledge, short- term memory, long-term memory storage and retrieval, visual processing, auditory processing, processing and execution speed, reaction, and decision speed, reading and writing; initially containing 80 items. Such items were evaluated by five reviewers. The results showed that 21 items (26.2 %) were excluded once they did not reach an agreement value equal to or greater than 80 %. The kappa coefficient between judges was adequate. Version 2 of the scale is ready to be used in future studies which aim at investigating its psychometric qualities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract) Resumen en idioma originalO presente estudo relata o processo de construção de uma escala do tipo rastreio para sinais indicativos de dotação acadêmica (Escala para Nomeação de Dotação Intelectual: versão professor [ENDI-p]), bem como apresentar evidências de validade de conteúdo. A construção dos itens foi baseada nos dez domínios amplos do modelo teórico sobre inteligência conhecido como Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC): inteligência fluida, raciocínio matemático quantitativo, memória de curto prazo, armazenamento e recuperação em longo prazo, processamento visual, processamento auditivo, rapidez de processamento e execução, velocidade de reação e decisão, leitura e escrita; contendo, inicialmente, 80 itens. Tais itens foram avaliados por cinco juízes. Os resultados demonstraram que 21 itens (26,2 %) foram excluídos por não alcançarem valor de concordância igual ou maior do que 80 %. O coeficiente kappa entre os juízes foi adequado. A versão 2 da escala está pronta para ser utilizada em estudos futuros voltados à investigação das suas qualidades psicométricas. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract) Resumen en idioma originalEl presente estudio reporta el proceso de construcción de una escala tipo cribado para signos indicativos de dotación académica (Escala para Nomeação de Dotação Intelectual: versão professor [ENDI-p]), además de presentar evidencia de validez de contenido. La construcción de los ítems se basó en los diez amplios dominios del modelo teórico sobre inteligencia, conocido como Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC): inteligencia fluida, razonamiento matemático cuantitativo, memoria a corto plazo, almacenamiento y recuperación a largo plazo, procesamiento visual, procesamiento auditivo, velocidad de procesamiento y ejecución, velocidad de reacción y decisión, lectura y escritura; inicialmente con 80 ítems. Estos elementos fueron evaluados por cinco jueces. Los resultados mostraron que se excluyeron 21 ítems (26.2 %) por no alcanzar un valor de concordancia igual o superior al 80 %. El coeficiente kappa entre jueces fue adecuado. La versión 2 de la escala está lista para ser utilizada en futuros estudios destinados a investigar sus cualidades psicométricas. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

Previous studies on intelligence have demonstrated that higher abilities are associated with lower brain activation, indicating a higher neural efficiency. In other words, more able individuals use fewer brain resources. However, it is unclear whether the neural efficiency phenomenon also appears for mathematical performance, which is influenced by both domain-general giftedness and domain-specific competencies. Therefore, this study examined the effects of general giftedness (G) and excellence in mathematics (EM) on performance and brain activation while solving learning-based mathematical tasks that required translation from graphical to symbolic representations of functions. Overall, 118 high school students (aged 16–18) participated in the present study and were divided according to G and EM using a 2 × 2 study design. Participants worked on a function task requiring translation between symbolic and graphical representations of functions. Analyses of the behavioral data revealed positive effects of both G and EM on the accuracy of solutions and an interaction effect of both factors on reaction times, reflecting a positive effect of EM only among the gifted individuals. EEG analyses focused on oscillatory activity in the theta and alpha frequency bands and showed a significant effect of EM in the upper alpha band (10–12 Hz) event-related desynchronization (ERD) for both graphical and symbolic representations. Specifically, higher (compared to lower) EM was associated with a larger alpha ERD, indicating a higher level of brain activity. This stands in contrast with the neural efficiency phenomenon. These findings suggest that the neural efficiency phenomenon cannot be generalized to higher-order mathematical demands in high-performing individuals. Several explanations for this limitation are offered. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

Teachers play important roles in identifying and promoting gifted students. An open question is: Which student characteristics do teachers use to evaluate whether a student is gifted or not? We used data from a representative sample of Dutch primary school teachers ( N = 1,304) who were asked whether or not they thought the students ( N = 26,720) in their class were gifted. We investigated students’ cognitive and noncognitive attributes as well as demographic factors that might be relevant for this judgment. In sum, the findings revealed that teachers considered students to be gifted when, in comparison with their peers, students were superior in cognitive domains, especially with respect to academic achievement, scored higher on openness to experience and lower on agreeableness, were male, were younger, and came from families with higher parental education. These findings are discussed in relation to research on teacher nominations, teachers’ representations of giftedness and gifted students, and theoretical conceptions of giftedness. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

This paper examines giftedness and gifted education from the point of view of humanistic ethical critique. While religious worldviews may conceptualize individual talent as something that human beings have received (as a “gift”) from God or (more generally) from a divine world-order, secular humanism may also implicitly presuppose a quasi-theological understanding of giftedness as something for which we might be expected to maintain a proper attitude of gratitude. Drawing on humanistic sources ranging from Hannah Arendt’s concept of natality, Richard Rorty’s pragmatist challenge to the idea of human “answerability” to the world, and Primo Levi’s ethical criticism (in the context of his Holocaust writings) of the notion of providence, the paper argues that developing an appropriate stance toward whatever gifts and talents individuals may have is a matter of continuous ethical self-reflection that needs to be incorporated in gifted education. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

Although her career was cut woefully short, Dr. Marcia Gentry’s contributions to the field of gifted and talented education will undoubtedly be remembered for years to come. Building on landmark historical events that highlighted the need for talent development, Gentry fervently worked to address complex, enduring questions within our field, namely: Who are gifted and talented students? How do we find them? What strategies will develop students’ emerging gifts and talents? Gentry’s research on enrichment clusters, cluster grouping, access and equity, identification, and scholarly identity development in underserved youth made commendable progress, but further work is needed. Gentry’s enduring body of work signals an important call to action. We must honor her legacy by answering it. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

Many studies indicate the importance of including the instructional illustrations (pictures, drawings, concrete objects . . .etc.) in childhood education learning materials and employing them in a way that suits the psychological and cognitive levels of young children. In this context, the current study aimed to develop a list of standards to be considered and adopted in designing instructional illustrations, and to reveal the perceptions of childhood teachers about the extent to which these standards are considered in instructional illustrations used in children’s learning materials. The participants were childhood education teachers in the Jordanian region of Irbid, who were randomly selected. Two hundred thirty-four teachers completed the questionnaire online. The scale consisted of a total of 34 items distributed over four dimensions. The results showed that the scores of teachers’ estimation about employing design standards in the instructional illustrations used in childhood education came at low levels, ranging from average to low, and did not reach high ratings. The study also revealed that there is an impact attributed to teaching experience on teachers’ perceptions about the extent to which these standards are employed in instructional illustrations, while there is no impact of gender, academic qualification, or the classes taught by the teachers. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

Self-Control can be defined as the self-initiated effortful process that enables individuals to resist temptation impulses. It is relevant for conducting a healthy and successful life. For university students, Grass et al. found that Need for Cognition as the tendency to engage in and enjoy thinking, and Action Orientation as the flexible recruitment of control resources in cognitively demanding situations, predict Self-Control. Further, Action Orientation partially mediated the relation between Need for Cognition and Self-Control. In the present conceptual replication study, we investigated the relations between Self-Control, Need for Cognition, and Action Orientation in adolescence ( N = 892 9 th graders) as a pivotal period for the development of self-control. We replicated the findings that Need for Cognition and Action Orientation predict Self-Control and that Action Orientation partially mediates the relation between Need for Cognition and Self-Control. In addition, Action Orientation moderates the relation between Need for Cognition and Self-Control. This result implies that in more action-oriented students Need for Cognition more strongly predicted Self-Control than in less action-oriented students. Our findings strengthen theoretical assumptions that Need for Cognition and Action Orientation are important cognitive and behavioral mechanisms that contribute to the successful exertion of Self-Control. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

As stated by Bialystok et al. (2014), metalinguistic awareness (MLA) is a set of multiple skills that are related to the formal aspects of language : phonological, morphological, syntactic and lexical awareness (Altman et al. 2018). Throughout the last decades, studies on bi- and multilingual learning showed that language aptitude and metalinguistic abilities or skills present related concepts which might be interpreted as identical under certain circumstances (Jessner 2006). In this frame, this paper tends to highlight the role of MLA in defining the relationship between language learning ability, linguistic giftedness and multilingual learning via focusing on the Dynamic Model of Linguistic Giftedness (Dolas 2021 ; Dolas et al. 2022) which states that the universe of able language learners intersects with the universe of metalinguistically aware ones upon the observation of cognitive and linguistic performances of a number of mono-, bi- and multilingual children from gifted and non-gifted educational contexts in a dynamic perspective. The results highlight that MLA can be regarded as an indicator of linguistic giftedness. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

Diabetes is a serious health issue that causes a progressive dysregulation of carbohydrate metabolism due to insufficient insulin hormone, leading to consistently high blood glucose levels. According to the epidemiological data, the prevalence of diabetes has been increasing globally, affecting millions of individuals. It is a long-term condition that increases the risk of various diseases caused by damage to small and large blood vessels. There are two main subtypes of diabetes: type 1 and type 2, with type 2 being the most prevalent. Genetic and molecular studies have identified several genetic variants and metabolic pathways that contribute to the development and progression of diabetes. Current treatments include gene therapy, stem cell therapy, statin therapy, and other drugs. Moreover, recent advancements in therapeutics have also focused on developing novel drugs targeting these pathways, including incretin mimetics, SGLT2 inhibitors, and GLP-1 receptor agonists, which have shown promising results in improving glycemic control and reducing the risk of complications. However, these treatments are often expensive, inaccessible to patients in underdeveloped countries, and can have severe side effects. Peptides, such as glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), are being explored as a potential therapy for diabetes. These peptides are postprandial glucose-dependent pancreatic beta-cell insulin secretagogues and have received much attention as a possible treatment option. Despite these advances, diabetes remains a major health challenge, and further research is needed to develop effective treatments and prevent its complications. This review covers various aspects of diabetes, including epidemiology, genetic and molecular basis, and recent advancements in therapeutics including herbal and synthetic peptides. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

Some children may be intellectually gifted, and yet experience behavioral and academic difficulties. We examined 82 twice exceptional children (2e-ADHD), having an excellent General Ability Index (GAI) derived from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-IV (GAI ≥ 125), and a diagnosis of Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). They accounted for 8.8% of a large sample of children with ADHD, which is twice as high as the proportion of intellectually gifted children in a typical population. This over-representation does not reflect a misdiagnosis of ADHD, as these children showed the typical features predicted on the grounds of data regarding the ADHD sample, including lower scores in working memory and processing speed measures, combined with the inclusion criteria for giftedness. Based on information concerning intellectually gifted children with either a Specific Learning Disorder (SLD) or typical development, we observed that these characteristics of intelligence are similar to those seen in SLD, but not in typical development, irrespective of whether 2e-ADHD children had a comorbid SLD. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

There is a long-standing association between exceptional cognitive abilities of various sorts and neuropsychiatric illness, but it has historically largely been investigated in an exploratory and non-systematic way. One group in which this association has been investigated with more rigor is in subjects who have been identified as twice exceptional; an educational term describing subjects who are both gifted and diagnosed with a neuropsychiatric disorder. This term covers multiple conditions, but is of specific interest in particular in the study of autism spectrum disorder. Recent findings have led to the development of a hypothesis that a certain degree of the neurobiology associated with autism might even be advantageous for individuals and could lead to high giftedness, while becoming disadvantageous, once a certain threshold is surpassed. In this model, the same neurobiological mechanisms confer an increasing advantage up to a certain threshold, but become pathological past that point. Twice-exceptional individuals would be exactly at the inflection point, being highly gifted, but also symptomatic at the same time. Here, we review how existing neuroimaging literature on autism spectrum disorder can inform research on twice exceptionality specifically. We propose to study key neural networks with a robust implication in ASD to identify the neurobiology underlying twice-exceptionality. A better understanding of the neural mechanisms of twice exceptionality should help to better understand resilience and vulnerability to neurodevelopmental disorders and to further support affected individuals. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

Inclusive education is a reform aimed at educating all students in general classrooms, independent of diversity features such as special educational needs, giftedness, or migration. Its successful implementation requires teachers with professional knowledge about inclusive education, skills to address the diverse needs in the classroom, and positive beliefs toward inclusive education. Teachers are provided with professional development opportunities, but are these effective in improving their learning process and positively impacting students’ behavior? We conducted a meta-analysis to address this question. The screening of 12,050 search results revealed 342 eligible studies with more than 155,000 participants and 1123 effects from four outcome categories: teachers’ knowledge, skills, and beliefs and students’ behavior. We observed positive, though varying, effects on all four outcome categories: large effects on teachers' knowledge regarding inclusive education ( g = 0.93), moderate effects on teachers’ skills ( g = 0.49), small effects on teachers’ beliefs ( g = 0.23), and small-to-moderate effects on student behavior ( g = 0.37). We also examined factors that might explain the differences in the strength of training effects. The data suggest that long-term training with high practical relevance and active learning opportunities facilitates transfer to schools. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

Self-regulated learning (SRL) is an active process that assists students in managing their thoughts, behaviors, and emotions to navigate their learning experiences successfully. The study examined the differences in motivation and SRL between gifted and high achievers (GHAs) and typical achievers (TAs) in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines by addressing the contribution of socioeconomic status (SES). A sample of 151 students in 11th and 12th grades from two high schools in Israel were divided into four study groups based on their general intelligence, school grades, and SES. Participants completed SRL and motivation questionnaires. The results indicated that among GHAs, all motivation measures were significantly higher than those of TAs, especially among students from low-SES environments. GHA students reported using more SRL strategies than TA students regarding organization, metacognition, time and learning environment, peer learning, and effort regulation. Students from low-SES environments reported using more organization strategies than those from high-SES environments, whereas TA students surpassed their GHA counterparts in critical thinking. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

Our colleague, Professor Marcia Gentry, left us too soon. Thankfully, her professional legacy lives through her scholarship. Likewise, her impact on family and friends endures through her timeless gentleness of spirit. This essay reviews Professor Gentry’s decades-long quest for equity and excellence as markers of our field. Toward this end, Marcia proposed that professionals in the highly specialized niche area of gifted education retire the words gifted and giftedness and focus on excellence and talent development. A core value for Marcia was the belief that equitable access to talent development is fundamentally an issue of social justice. In response, I suggest that we consider how to retire these terms from the vantage point of five pivots, ultimately shifting from gifted education to talent discovery and development thereby promoting equity through excellence. The fifth pivot briefly discusses why we must shift from a nearly exclusive educational perspective to one that incorporates psychological components, including developmental and educational psychological principles. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

Solving a novel problem has recently garnered some attention as a viable alternative to traditional explicit instruction in the preparation of students for learning. This study investigated the effectiveness of introducing problem-solving tasks and worked examples prior to explicit instruction, along with the use of contrast, for gifted and non-gifted adolescents. One hundred and ninety-nine students from academically selective government and Independent high schools participated in this study. The 2 × 2 × 2 research design that was used examined the effects of giftedness (i.e., gifted vs. non-gifted), instruction-type (i.e., problem-solving vs. worked examples), and structure (i.e., high vs low contrast materials) on the learning outcomes of transfer and procedural knowledge. The study also examined the impact of explicit instruction and invention-first instruction strategies on non-performance variables—self-efficacy, extraneous load, experience of knowledge gaps, and interest. The results of the study suggested that invention-first instruction may be more effective than example-first instruction in transfer, and that gifted students may benefit more from invention-first instruction than example-first instruction. The use of contrast materials was not found to affect performance. Furthermore, instruction was found to have no significant effects on the investigated non-performance variables. Collectively, these findings challenge the conventional teaching modality of explicit instruction in gifted education, and puts forward the possibility of the invention-first strategy as an effective instructional strategy for gifted students. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

In this final essay, we summarize some of the main themes of this special issue of the Roeper Review dedicated to the scholarly and educational contributions of Marcia Gentry. Our goal is to provide a broad sweep of her contributions: Specifics can be found in the individual articles. We cover as themes (a) the term “gifted,” (b) identification, (c) abilities, (d) opportunity, (e) twice-exceptionalities, (f) gifted programs, and (g) systemic failures, followed by our brief conclusions. Marcia was one of the truly great contributors to the field of gifted education, and her legacy will live long after her untimely death. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

This article explores how psychological categories linked to the mental level, such as genius, mediocrity, and intellectual superiority, were directly intertwined with political discourse in the early 20th century. To illustrate this, I analyze El Hombre Mediocre (The Mediocre Man) published in 1913 by José Ingenieros, seemingly as a direct critique of the law for free democratic elections in Argentina sanctioned in 1912. The book’s main argument drew on psychological categories to explain that democracy was, in fact, a poor choice in government. Ingenieros’ main concern was that the population was mostly mediocre and therefore unable to govern or elect a suitable candidate to run the country. One category that stood out in his analysis was the “genius.” This term was reserved for men who demonstrated exceptional intelligence and remarkable morals and ideals. The methodology used in this article is based on the qualitative and interpretative analysis of bibliographical sources (which include books of essays, scientific papers, and books aimed at lay audiences) from the perspective of intellectual history and the critical history of psychology. I argue that Ingenieros’ book served as a political essay founded on a comprehensive scientific explanation, even if it was aimed at a lay audience. This analysis shows the productivity of psychological categories referring to giftedness, intelligence, and talent, in adulthood for assessing political movements and planning new imagined societies through the history of psychology. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

The representation gap in gifted and talented education poses a persistent challenge in educational systems worldwide. This theoretical manuscript presents the Bull’s Eye Model for Affective Development—Expansion (BEM-e) an innovative framework designed to address this gap. By incorporating elements from positive psychology, the BEM-e aims to identify and nurture traditionally underrepresented students who possess camouflaged gifted and talented abilities. Drawing upon the Engagement, Perseverance, Optimism, Connectedness, and Happiness model (EPOCH), along with measures of hope and metacognition, BEM-e provides a comprehensive approach to talent identification and service. The model emphasizes the holistic development of individuals by considering affective factors, engagement, perseverance, optimism, connectedness, happiness, hope, and metacognition. Additionally, dynamic assessment is integrated during the implementation of BEM-e modules, allowing for personalized and adaptive identification processes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

The purpose of the present case study was to conduct a detailed analysis of the developmental characteristics of a gifted child. WISC-R intelligence test was administered to a 7-year-old participant. The test result was 140 IQ. The early developmental characteristics of the participant were evaluated using parent-recorded videos over a 3-year period, from birth to 3 years of age. First, all video recordings were transcribed by the research team, then the accuracy and completeness of the transcriptions were verified. The results showed that the participant displayed early gifted developmental characteristics in fine motor skills, cognitive, language, social, and personal developmental domains. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)