Assessment is a crucial component of gifted education. Not only does it facilitate the recognition of the potential and specific needs of gifted students, it also monitors the progress and growth of ...gifted students, and allows for the evaluation of gifted education programs. In the present review, we synthesize the literature on assessment in gifted education published in the period from 2005 to 2016. We suggest that gifted assessment research has witnessed notable advances, which are apparent in both the extensive range of assessment instruments/methods that now exist and the diverse ways in which assessment data are now used. Future research attention nevertheless appears to be necessary on the optimal approaches to (a) use multiple criteria in gifted identification, (b) address the disproportionate representation of disadvantaged groups in gifted programs, and (c) promote the development of guidelines for gifted program evaluation.
Background
Much confusion exists about the underachievement of gifted students due to significant variations in how the phenomenon has been identified. From a review of the literature, five methods ...were found to be commonly used to identify gifted underachievement.
Aims
The purpose of the study was to assess the equivalence of the commonly used methods to identify gifted underachievement, and to determine which of these methods may be optimal.
Sample
Data were collected from a school in Sydney, Australia.
Method
Three measures of convergence (i.e., difference in proportions, phi association, and kappa agreement) were used to assess the equivalence of the identification methods, while latent class analysis was used to determine the optimal identification method.
Results
The convergence evidence suggested that the commonly used identification methods may not be considered convergent, while the criterion evidence indicated that one of the five identification methods may have strong levels of criterion validity.
Conclusions
A conclusion was reached that the simple difference method may be the most valid method to identify gifted underachievement.
We characterize the extent to which Black-White gaps for multiple educational outcomes are linked across school districts in the United States. Gaps in disciplinary action, grade-level retention, ...classification into special education and Gifted and Talented, and Advanced Placement course-taking are large in magnitude and correlated. Racial differences in family income and parent education are strikingly consistent predictors of these gaps, and districts with large gaps in one outcome are likely to have large gaps in another. Socioeconomic and segregation variables explain 1.7 to 3.5 times more variance for achievement relative to nonachievement outcomes. Systemic patterns of racial socioeconomic inequality drive inequalities across multiple educational outcomes; however, discretionary policies at local levels are more influential for nonachievement outcomes.
Gifted children and their parents often cope with challenges arising from their high abilities and the particular educational needs that these entail. The current research aims to map the available ...and desired resources for gifted children and their families in rural and central regions. The research stems from the resource-oriented approach to gifted education that identifies five exogenous learning resources, termed educational capital. As the availability of these resources can be context-dependent, the current study examines rural and central regions as diverse spatial areas. Using a qualitative approach, 26 in-depth interviews were conducted with parents and educators from two diverse regions in Israel. Thematic analysis found that parents and educators from both regions described the available resources similarly, with the exception of the economic, infrastructural, and didactic resources, which are less available in the rural region. In addition, parents and teachers in the rural region defined personal parental resources and educational knowledge as being more desirable than their counterparts in the center. The findings suggest that resources for the gifted are more family centered than community- or region-centered. Focusing on two different spatial areas, this study examines the possible interplay between location or geography and gifted children and their available educational capital.
Background
Securing appropriate challenge or preventing boredom is one of the reasons frequently used to justify ability grouping of gifted students, which has been shown to have beneficial effects ...for achievement. On the other hand, critics stress psychosocial costs, such as detrimental effects on academic self‐concept (contrast or big‐fish‐little‐pond effect).
Aim
The effects of full‐time ability grouping in special classrooms for the gifted on students' academic self‐concept and their experience of boredom in mathematics classes were investigated.
Sample
The sample comprised 186 ninth‐grade students (106 male) from eight classes at one Austrian high school. Four of these classes were part of a gifted track beginning from school year 9 on (N = 93).
Method
Students were assessed repeatedly within the first half of the school year, three times via self‐report questionnaires and once by applying a standardized IQ‐test.
Results and conclusions
Students in gifted classes reported a decrease in maths academic self‐concept which was most pronounced early in the academic year. Interventions to counterbalance the negative effect of exposure to a high‐ability reference group should therefore be implemented when ability grouping begins. No evidence for the boredom hypothesis was found (higher levels of boredom among gifted students in regular classes). However, students clearly differed in the reasons they stated for experiencing boredom. Boredom attributions changed over time and supported the assumption that gifted classes provide more appropriate levels of challenge.
Gifted Education Rotatori, Anthony F; Bakken, Jeffrey P; Obiakor, Festus E
2014, Volume:
26
eBook
This volume addresses the most current perspectives and issues related to giftedness and is written by leaders in the field. An excellent resource for special educators, administrators, mental health ...clinicians, school counselors, and psychologists, this volume addresses the different educational issues that impact this population. The area of giftedness is constantly advancing as a result of legislation, new trends, and current research investigations. In addition, this area is somewhat controversial as it is often not funded under special education. The volume will allow readers to follow giftedness in a very logical and thoughtful process from theories, legal issues, identification and assessment, and placement to different populations and the impact giftedness may have on them. Also included are the topics of inclusion, differentiated instruction, effective practices, and technology. The volume concludes with chapters that address post-secondary education and families.
The impact that the practice of mindfulness has on young gifted children has yet to be fully explored in today’s literature. In adults, mindfulness has been demonstrated to help reduce anxiety, ...depression, stress, and improve self-regulation. Children are known to struggle with these issues as well. The findings of this exploratory qualitative study suggest four themes regarding the influence of classroom mindfulness practice on the lives of gifted children. The themes are the need for mindfulness, individual experiences, the role of mindfulness in the classroom, and the benefits of mindfulness. Parents and teachers provide multi-informant approaches to understanding the ways in which classroom mindfulness practice shapes the behavior of young gifted students. Although mindfulness has been researched in detail with adult populations and to a lesser extent with children, very few studies exist that explore the use of mindfulness with young gifted children. This exploratory study observed students practicing mindfulness, and then used parent and teacher interviews to provide preliminary information.
The underrepresentation of English learners (ELs) in gifted and talented programs is a societal and research problem that merits investigation. Three state departments of education and their state ...directors of gifted programs supported our access to 16 schools across nine districts. In these three states with gifted identification and programming mandates, ELs were proportionally represented in gifted and talented programs in the 16 schools we visited. Interview data from 225 participants revealed four themes: adopting universal screening procedures, creating alternative pathways to identification, establishing a web of communication, and using professional learning as a lever for change.
This article includes a current research synthesis on a subpopulation of twice exceptional individuals, those who are academically talented with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This population is ...emerging as an increasing focus of research, as the numbers of individuals identified are increasing. A total of 32 articles were included using the study’s inclusion criteria, and of these 32 articles, 62.5% presented data, whereas the remaining 37.5% were review or conceptual articles. This review of articles published between 1996 and 2019 suggests little research is being conducted on this population. Some of the research conducted recently involve case studies, others are correlational in nature, and most are descriptive, focusing on participants’ characteristics and how they were identified. A wide range of definitions were utilized in the literature, and to date, no empirical research has been published about this population. Implications from the current research base and suggestions for future research are included.
K–12 gifted and talented programs have struggled with racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, native language, and disability inequity since their inception. This inequity has been well documented in public ...schools since at least the 1970s and has been stubbornly persistent despite receiving substantial attention at conferences, in scholarly journals, and in K–12 schools. The purpose of this article is to outline why such inequity exists and why common efforts to combat it have been unsuccessful. In the end, poorly designed identification systems combined with larger issues of societal inequality and systemic, institutionalized racism are the most likely culprits. I end the article with a hierarchy of actions that could be taken—from low-hanging fruit to major societal changes—in order to combat inequity in gifted education and move the field forward.
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