Epistemological Differences Between Gifted and Typically Developing Middle School Students

2019 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 164-184
Author(s):  
Shelagh A. Gallagher
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
Grade Level ◽  
Gifted Students ◽  
Developmental Differences ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Learning Context ◽  
School Students ◽  
Substantial Impact ◽  
Personal Epistemologies

Students’ personal epistemologies, or their beliefs about knowledge and knowing, have a substantial impact on learning, affecting their responses to curriculum, strategy selection, and psychosocial variables. Changes in epistemological reasoning occur similarly to other stage-based developmental schemes, with qualitative shifts in worldviews at each stage. Some research suggests that gifted students tend to develop higher levels of epistemological reasoning earlier than same-aged typically developing peers. The current study extends research in developmental differences to middle school students. A total of 189 sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade gifted or typical students completed the Learning Context Questionnaire. An analysis of variance was conducted to determine differences by Gifted Status and Grade Level. Results of the analysis revealed significant differences between gifted and typical students, with modest effect size, at each grade level. The discussion includes implications for understanding giftedness and related need for rich inquiry-based learning environments.

scholarly journals IDENTIFICATION OF THE INTEREST OF TURKISH MIDDLE-SCHOOL STUDENTS IN STEM CAREERS: GENDER AND GRADE LEVEL DIFFERENCES

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayşegül Ergün
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
Grade Level ◽  
Male Students ◽  
Stem Careers ◽  
Career Interest ◽  
School Students ◽  
Grade Level Differences ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Descriptive Survey

In Turkey, it is predicted that the need for STEM employment in the 2016-2023 period will be close to one million and that about 31% of this need will not be met. Therefore, the identification of students’ interest in STEM careers in middle-school is regarded as important. The aim of this research was to identify the interest of middle-school students in STEM careers. The sample of the research was made up of 892 students who received education in four middle-schools in the Aegean region of Turkey. In this research which was of the descriptive survey model, the STEM Career Interest Questionnaire was used to collect data. As a result of research, it was determined that the interest of male students in STEM careers is more positive compared to the female students. It was found that the interest in careers in terms of grade level did not display any differences in the area of technology, whereas it displayed differences in the areas of science, engineering and mathematics. In addition, it was identified that the interest in STEM careers displayed differences in terms of grade level and that as the grade level increases, the interest in STEM careers decreases.

Communicating about bullying: Examining disclosure among gifted students

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 110-120
Author(s):  
Rachel Leah Jumper
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
General Education ◽  
Gifted Students ◽  
Specific Area ◽  
The Body ◽  
Gifted Children ◽  
School Students ◽  
General Education Students ◽  
Being Bullied

Although research on bullying has grown in scope in recent years, research specifically focused on gifted children’s experiences with bullying has been more limited. Studies of gifted children and bullying do exist, but the body of research in this specific area is not large. This article asserts that there are differences in the ways that gifted and nongifted middle school students communicate about bullying. This article examines quantitative differences in the ways middle school students who self-identify as gifted, and their peers who do not self-identify as gifted, disclose information about bullying. Data were collected from 343 middle school students at five different schools using the Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire. The study found that gifted students were more likely than general education students to disclose to their peers that they were being bullied but were not more likely than other children to communicate about bullying to their teachers or parents. These findings have important implications for schools and families as adults may underestimate bullying among the gifted. Additionally, these findings add to the literature supporting intervention programs that incorporate peer bystanders and add information to how we understand the importance of peers for gifted children.

Drawing out understanding

2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 197-209
Author(s):  
Jennifer Eiserman ◽  
Heather Lai ◽  
Chelsea Rushton
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
Personality Development ◽  
School Context ◽  
Gifted Students ◽  
School Students ◽  
Ongoing Research ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approaches ◽  
Positive Disintegration ◽  
Gifted Middle School Students

Dabrowski recognized that the creative process is important in the personality development of the gifted and talented. Given the intrinsically creative nature of learning in an arts- infused context, we hypothesize that interdisciplinary approaches to curriculum address the unique needs of the gifted. First, we will summarize Dabrowski’s theory of positive disintegration, providing a theoretical context to discuss an ongoing research project that engages gifted students in arts-based learning. We then briefly describe the implications of positive disintegration in the middle school context, and how art education can support this process. Finally, we describe how two arts integrated projects addressed the process of positive disintegration. In 2013, University of Calgary students in ART 307, “Applied concepts in art with children ages 6-12,” worked with gifted middle school students on an integrated art–social studies–science project called “When Fisher went to Skyland.” In this project, one class of Grade 6 students explored Iroquois culture and sky science through printmaking. In 2014, four classes of Grade 5 students worked with ART 307 students to enhance their understanding of electricity and magnetism through explorations using theatre games, creative movement and animation. We suggest that engaging gifted middle school students in the arts can be a means to facilitate alternative learning methodologies in all subject areas, and provide necessary support in personality development.

scholarly journals Middle School Students’ Graph Skills and Affective States about Graphs

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 692
Author(s):  
Murat Bursal ◽  
Serap Yetiş
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Grade Level ◽  
Eighth Graders ◽  
Efficacy Beliefs ◽  
Affective States ◽  
School Students ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Significant Difference

This survey design study was designed to test whether the graph skills and affective states of middle school students about graphs differ by their gender, grade level, and graph types (line, bar, and pie). The data collection instruments consisted of two scales developed by the authors and a Graph Skills Test, which consisted of graph questions from the previous TIMSS and PISA exams. Based on the findings, while middle school students were found to succeed at reading the data level graph questions, they were found to struggle in questions requiring higher graph skills, such as graph interpretation and graph construction. As for the affective states investigated, participants were found to hold high self-efficacy beliefs and positive attitudes toward graphs. No significant difference among the dependent variables (graph skills, self-efficacy beliefs about graphs, attitudes toward graphs, and graph literacy perceptions) was found by gender; however, grade level and graph type variables were found to impact students’ graph skills, graph attitudes, and personal graph literacy perceptions. Middle school students with less school experience with graphs (seventh graders) were found to hold more positive attitudes toward graphs than the eighth graders. On the contrary, eighth graders were found to perform better at graph questions requiring interpretations of the graph data. Also, participants in all subgroups were found to hold significantly higher personal graph literacy perceptions for the bar graphs, than the line graphs and pie charts. Based on the findings of the study, while middle school students were found to hold positive affective states about graphs, they were found to lack advanced graph skills. In agreement with the previous literature, it is recommended that graph literacy should become a dedicated part of the school curriculum.

Openness to experience and overexcitabilities in a sample of highly gifted middle school students

2021 ◽  
pp. 026142942110532
Author(s):  
Shelagh Gallagher
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
Big Five ◽  
Gifted Students ◽  
Openness To Experience ◽  
Cutoff Score ◽  
School Students ◽  
Big Five Model ◽  
Gifted Middle School Students ◽  
Neuroticism Scale

A sample of 108 highly gifted middle school students participated in a study of the relationships between Big Five factors and overexcitabilities. Students completed the NEO-FFI and Overexcitabilities Questionnaire-II (OEQ-II). A cutoff score applied to the OEQ-II created a threshold for overexcitability, ensuring only extreme responses. Analysis groups were based on the number of OEs students possessed based on the cutoff score. An analysis of variance assessed differences in students’ NEO-FFI scores according to the number of OEs they reported. Students with three or more overexcitabilities had significantly higher scores on NEO-FFI openness to experience than students with fewer overexcitabilities. Gifted females had significantly higher scores on NEO-FFI neuroticism scale than gifted males. The results hold implications for understanding the academic and social-emotional needs of highly gifted students and justify use of the Big Five model and overexcitabilities together to further understand the relationship between intelligence, personality, and giftedness.

scholarly journals Middle School Students’ Beliefs About Intelligence and Giftedness

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-73
Author(s):  
Dongyao Tan ◽  
Mike Yough ◽  
Ophélie A. Desmet ◽  
Nielsen Pereira
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
School Achievement ◽  
Gifted Students ◽  
Eighth Graders ◽  
School Students ◽  
Incremental Belief ◽  
Motivation And Learning ◽  
Regular Classes ◽  
Practical Implications

This study investigated middle school students’ beliefs about intelligence and differences in the development of intelligence across ages, beliefs about giftedness and the development of giftedness, and how beliefs about intelligence and giftedness were related. A total of 52 eighth graders from two regular classes ( n = 36) and one gifted class ( n = 16) at a public school in the U.S. Midwest completed a survey and a vignettes task. Results revealed that participants associated intelligence with school and non-school intelligence, knowledge and learning, smartness, and motivation. They associated academic giftedness with intelligence, motivation, school achievement, and high ability. Participants were more certain young children could grow intelligence. Most participants endorsed incremental views of intelligence and giftedness. This was more evident in students holding an incremental belief about intelligence, and in non-gifted students. Gifted participants and those holding an incremental belief about intelligence placed more value on motivation and learning. Theoretical and practical implications were discussed.

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