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The purpose of this study was to examine the educational narratives of undergraduate college students in order to understand how giftedness interacts with learning disabilities in the construction of identity. There were three goals of the study: to allow a forum for college students to tell their stories of what it means to be gifted with learning disabilities, to collaborate with constituents in the construction of knowledge, and to create awareness of the special needs of this population. Our knowledge is extremely limited regarding the educational experiences of students with giftedness and learning disabilities and there has been no research on how these dual exceptionalities affect identity formation. Qualitative narrative inquiry was chosen as the methodology for the study. The following questions guided the study: (1) What themes emerge in the educational narratives of the participants in the study? (2) How does the sociocultural context affect the participants' meanings of learning disabilities? (3) How does the sociocultural context affect the participants' meanings of giftedness? (4) How do these meanings affect identity formation? The overall theoretical framework which provided guidance for this study was the sociocultural construction of identity. Two approaches within this framework that had relevancy for the study were the biographical-historical approach and sociocultural ambivalence. A diverse group of four participants were purposefully selected with regards to gender, race, and gifts and talents. The primary sources of data were the stories of the participants. Two types of analyses were used, narrative analysis and analysis of narratives. Narrative analysis resulted in the generation of stories jointly constructed by the participants and the researcher. Analysis of narrative resulted in the description of themes. Two contextual themes emerged in the narratives as being integral to identity formation of the participants: support systems in the way of family, teachers, mentors, and friends; and extra-curricular activities. The life stories suggested four personal themes in identity formation: self-knowledge, self-acceptance, self-advocacy, and self-determination. Educational and psychological implications are discussed and recommendations suggested for further research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Multipotentiality and giftedness have been consistently associated with one another in the career counseling literature. Because gifted students generally have diverse interests across numerous domains and may be capable of success in many endeavors or professions, they are confronted with unique decisions as a result of these choices. When encountering multiple opportunities, some students may experience confusion, anxiety and frustration because they fear missing something or making a wrong decision. For other students, similar situations offer opportunities for exploration, productivity, and self-actualization. Most of the knowledge surrounding the construct of multipotentiality is based on assumptions and conflicting empirical research studies that have either supported its existence or dismissed it as minimal or non-existent. In this study, university honors students completed a survey dealing with multipotentiality entitled the Attitudes Toward Life Choices Survey (ATLC). A confirmatory factor analysis supported a four-factor model for the ATLC, which identified healthy or unhealthy attitudes of honors students toward the numerous choices that they face. As described by self-reported high aptitude and interests across a wide variety of areas, 84% of the respondents demonstrated multipotentiality. Within this group, a continuum existed, as approximately 10% of the population exhibited unhealthy attitudes toward life choices, described as having difficulty with decision-making and career planning, and 20% of the respondents had healthy attitudes regarding multipotentiality and were able to both select areas of interest and identify directions for careers. Descriptive statistics and qualitative data collected from interviews with 12 purposively selected participants revealed further differences among these two groups such as: major-switching, goal-orientation, romance with a field, and the ability to focus on a career plan. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship of two screening tests for developmental skills and cognitive abilities with measured intelligence used for placement in early childhood gifted education programs. The review of literature supported the notion that the IQ score was often used as the most definitive criterion for identification of students with giftedness or exceptional ability. Procedures. The population of this study included the elementary students, grades two through six, who were screened and tested for the gifted education program in a public school district located in southeastern Missouri during the school years from August 1993 to May 1997. The sample was limited to the students who were screened with the Missouri Kindergarten Inventory of Developmental Skills (KIDS) and the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) and placed with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-III (WISC-III). The school district provided a list of test results. The data were analyzed using Pearson Product-Moment correlation and stepwise multiple regression. Findings. The statistical analysis of the data indicated a significant difference at the .05 level of significance for three subtests of the KIDS, auditory skills, language concepts, and visual skills. The composite score of the CogAT was identified as the best predictor at a level of significance p < .001, and accounted for 14% of the variability of the full scale intelligence quotient scores of the WISC-III. Conclusions. While the coefficients of the three KIDS subtests and the composite scores of the CogAT were of statistical significance, factors contributing to less than 14% of the variance of the WISC-III provided limited predictive value. The findings of this study stressed the importance of using multiple criteria in the screening procedures for identification of students with giftedness, as well as the need for more effective teacher training for recognition of gifted characteristics. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

This study examined the relationships among teacher rating scales and measures traditionally used to predict "schoolhouse giftedness." "Schoolhouse giftedness" refers to test taking and lesson learning giftedness (Renzulli & Reis, 1985) and is measured by standardized intelligence and academic achievement tests. Participants included 255 children, ages 5 to 6 years, nominated by teachers or parents for a gifted program. Children were divided into monolingual, bilingual or limited English proficient groups. Sixty kindergarten teachers attended a two-hour training, which focused on characteristics of gifted children and completion of teacher rating forms. Two months later, children were rated on three teacher rating scales, the Gifted and Talented Evaluation Scale (GATES; Gilliam, Carpenter & Christensen, 1996), the Scales for Rating the Behavioral Characteristics of Superior Students and the Renzulli-Smith Early Childhood Checklist. Children who scored at or above the "borderline" range on the GATES were administered an intelligence measure (Stanford-Binet Fourth Edition), the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-educational Battery - Revised Tests of Achievement (Skills cluster and Broad Knowledge cluster) and a nonverbal measure of intelligence (Matrix Analogies Test). The three rating scales displayed significant positive correlations with the cognitive ability scores for all three groups as well as for the monolingual and bilingual groups with regard to the Skills cluster. The Renzulli-Smith Early Childhood Checklist was the only scale positively correlated with the Skills cluster for students of limited English proficiency. Teacher rating scales were not found to have significant relationships with the Broad Knowledge cluster. The GATES was not found to be the most highly correlated scale with standardized measures as hypothesized. Significant differences were not found among the correlations between rating scales and standardized measures for the three groups. None of the scales were effective in predicting group membership in the gifted group. Replacing the verbal portion of the intelligence scale with the Matrix Analogies Test resulted in a larger percentage of students of limited English proficiency falling within the gifted group. Results were discussed in terms of the limited efficacy of teacher rating scales in predicting "schoolhouse giftedness." Based on the current study, these measures must be utilized cautiously for kindergarten age children. Diversifying measures of ability and achievement and altering methods of admission for children with limited English ability were also discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

The underrepresentation of minority students in programs for the gifted and their overrepresentation in special education programs has been well documented. Definitions of giftedness and identification procedures are frequently cited barriers to identification and placement of culturally diverse students in programs for the gifted. Research efforts are directed toward developing alternative assessment techniques for identification of minority students for placement in gifted education programs. The Center for Theater Techniques in Education, under the guidance of Mary Hunter Wolf, founder and President, began offering a talent identification and development program for gifted, urban minority students. Middle school students identified by their non-verbal intellectual ability and their creative abilities are selected to participate in the Talent Search and Development Program (TSDP), a unique theater tech/integrated arts program. The goal of the program is to identify and nurture each student's talent in the arts or academic areas. This qualitative study of past participants explored the factors related to the recognition and development of talent in each participant. Also examined were the components of the program affecting continuing education and career choices, and the ability of each participant to relate to his/her cultural heritage as well as the broader world. Qualitative data collected from participants and program personnel and documents revealed the educational interventions, personal traits, and the support systems necessary to help guide the participants toward their eventual career choices. Qualitative data indicated that the absence of consistent support systems (families, gifted program opportunities, peer groups, and counseling opportunities) prevented some of the participants from moving forward with talent development opportunities, higher education, and career choices. The greater the inconsistency of support systems, the less possibility existed for developmental paths to be sustained. For some participants, clear goals, and visions for the future were never developed. Adequate consistency of support systems, enabled other participants to continue the developmental progress they began in TSDP, and move forward with higher education and career planning providing the beginning to a fulfilling life in the broader world. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of gender, giftedness, informal exercise and team sports in the development of self-perceptions and identity of young adolescents. The study was conducted in 2 middle schools. The subjects were 305 students (138 nongifted females, 44 gifted females, 100 nongifted males, and 23 gifted males) in the 8th grade. Instruments used to survey students were the Physical Activity Survey, Harter's Self-Perception Profile, and the Erikson Psychosocial Stage Inventory. The results of the study show that participation in team sports had a positive effect on all domains of young adolescents' self-perceptions and identity development except behavioral conduct. Informal exercise had a positive effect on young adolescents' perceptions of social competence and their global self-worth but not on their identity development. Gender differences were found with males showing more positive self-perceptions of athletic competence, physical appearance, and global self-worth as well as higher resolution of the stages of autonomy and identity than females, and females showing more positive self-perceptions of behavioral conduct than males. There were no differences between gifted and nongifted with the exception that gifted students showed more positive scholastic competence than nongifted. The findings from this study suggest that participation in team sports is a part of young adolescents' development at the middle grades level. Middle schools may want to use the results of this study in planning programs. A well-planned sports program that emphasizes healthy competition for young adolescents may benefit both males and females. Educators may use these findings to counsel females to consider sports as one way to manage stress and to enhance self-concept and identity development. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)