Determining Attitudes Toward Ability: A New Tool for New Understanding

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonia Szymanski ◽  
Laurie Croft ◽  
Brian Godor
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Attitudes ◽  
Gifted Education ◽  
Gifted Students ◽  
Reliability And Validity ◽  
Curriculum Policy ◽  
Gifted Programming ◽  
Precise Understanding ◽  
Grade Skipping ◽  
Psychometric Evidence

The purpose of this study is to explore teacher attitudes toward gifted students in several distinct areas and to provide psychometric evidence of reliability and validity for the use of an instrument titled “Determining Attitudes Toward Ability” (DATA) to measure specific components of teacher attitudes. Subscales of Focus on Others, Problems With Acceleration, Grade Skipping, Identification, and Curriculum/Policy and ranking the goals of gifted programming allow precise understanding of teacher attitudes regarding important factors in gifted education. This study represents the initial efforts to provide a psychometrically evaluated instrument that reflects developments in the field of gifted education.

Gifted Students

2019 ◽  
Vol 70 (1) ◽  
pp. 551-576 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank C. Worrell ◽  
Rena F. Subotnik ◽  
Paula Olszewski-Kubilius ◽  
Dante D. Dixson
Keyword(s):  
Gifted Education ◽  
Gifted Students ◽  
Talent Development ◽  
Conceptual Frameworks ◽  
Underrepresented Groups ◽  
Social And Emotional ◽  
Gifted Programming ◽  
Common Practices ◽  
Emotional Issues

Gifted students are individuals who are recognized for performance that is superior to that of their peers. Although giftedness is typically associated with schooling, gifted individuals exist across academic and nonacademic domains. In this review, we begin by acknowledging some of the larger debates in the field of gifted education and provide brief summaries of major conceptual frameworks applied to gifted education, dividing them into three categories: frameworks focused on ability, frameworks focused on talent development, and integrative frameworks. We then discuss common practices used to identify gifted students, giving specific attention to the identification of those in underrepresented groups, followed by brief overviews of the numbers of students who are classified as gifted, programming options for gifted students, and social and emotional issues associated with being gifted. We conclude with a discussion of several unresolved issues in the field.

Community Activism as Curriculum: How to Meet Gifted Students’ Needs While Creating Change

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashley D. Beason-Manes
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
Gifted Education ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Gifted Students ◽  
Community Activism ◽  
School Students ◽  
Gifted Programming ◽  
Gifted Middle School Students ◽  
Problem Solving Process

Gifted middle school students in sixth, seventh, and eighth grades engaged with a community activism curriculum designed and implemented by the author, their gifted education facilitator, as part of their gifted programming. This authentic learning experience asked students to follow a creative problem-solving process that fostered thoughtful problem-solving and successful action plans. Participating students reported feeling empowered by the experience of creating lasting positive change in their community and even altered their own expectations of learning experiences in school. This article explores the perspective of the practitioner and ways of successfully implementing such a curriculum.

Teacher Attitudes toward Academic Acceleration and Accelerated Students in the Netherlands

2005 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lianne Hoogeveen ◽  
Janet G. Van Hell ◽  
Ludo Verhoeven
Keyword(s):  
Social Competence ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Teacher Attitudes ◽  
Gifted Education ◽  
School Achievement ◽  
Gifted Students ◽  
Emotional Problems ◽  
Survey Study ◽  
Specific Information ◽  
Written Information

In a survey study, we investigated teacher attitudes toward acceleration and accelerated students in the Netherlands. Teachers ( N = 334) from 31 secondary schools gave their opinion about gifted education and acceleration, and evaluated statements about accelerated students. Most teachers considered a special approach for gifted students advisable and acceleration a useful intervention. Teachers' opinions about accelerated students' social competence, school motivation and achievement, emotional problems, and isolation were qualified by the quantity and quality of prior experience with accelerated students and by their opinion on acceleration in gifted education. In a subsequent intervention study, we examined whether specific information on acceleration and giftedness changes teachers' attitudes toward accelerated students. Teachers who attended the information meeting and received written information expressed more positive opinions about accelerated students' social competence and school achievement and motivation and less negative opinions about emotional problems after intervention. Implications for gifted child education are discussed.

Gifted Education in the Australian Context

2018 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 81-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosalind L. Walsh ◽  
Jennifer L. Jolly
Keyword(s):  
Education Research ◽  
Teacher Attitudes ◽  
Gifted Education ◽  
National Curriculum ◽  
Gifted Students ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Gifted Children ◽  
Assessment Program ◽  
Federal Mandate ◽  
Gifted Girls

The context in which gifted education operates in Australia provides for differing levels of identification and services. Lacking a federal mandate or funding, states and territories are responsible for addressing the needs of gifted students. Australia contributes to the gifted education research literature, focusing on acceleration, gifted girls, and teacher attitudes. The impacts of a relatively new national curriculum and assessment program have yet to be assessed in terms of their impact on gifted children. This article includes an overview of the policies, models, and barriers facing gifted education in Australia.

Perceived Challenges for Rural Gifted Education

2020 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 184-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katie D. Lewis ◽  
Cecelia Boswell
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
School Districts ◽  
Gifted Education ◽  
Gifted Students ◽  
Rural Culture ◽  
Rural School Districts ◽  
Gifted Programs ◽  
Educational Decisions ◽  
Gifted Programming ◽  
Rural Settings

Rural communities and school systems are the heart of many states across the nation. Yet, many of the challenges facing rural gifted education remain unanswered. There is limited research or policy focused on gifted students, teachers of the gifted, or gifted programming in rural settings. Understanding how culture defines rural communities and influences educational decisions is key in overcoming challenges within gifted programs. This study seeks to explore some of the perceived challenges and the influence of rural culture in providing gifted services in four rural school districts in Texas. Findings highlight the struggles of rural gifted programs to identify and serve gifted students. These struggles fall into three categories: limited funding, limited time, and limited resources available for gifted programs.

Educational Paradigm Shifts and the Effects on Educating Gifted Students in the Netherlands and Flanders

2021 ◽  
pp. 016235322110014
Author(s):  
Eleonoor van Gerven
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
Social Constructivism ◽  
Gifted Education ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
Gifted Students ◽  
Western Society ◽  
Paradigm Shifts ◽  
Inclusive Approach ◽  
Educational Paradigm

Currently, in Western society, five significant paradigm shifts can be distinguished affecting Dutch and Flemish gifted education: (a) an inclusive approach of education, (b) response to educational needs, (c) new perspectives on giftedness, (d) social constructivism, and (e) evidence-informed teaching. In this review article, the positioning of the education of gifted students in primary schools in the Netherlands and Flanders is explained within the context of these five significant paradigm shifts. There are frictions between what is, from a theoretical perspective, desirable optimally and what can currently be realized in Dutch and Flemish education. The process of change demonstrates a need for competent specialists in gifted education. Because basic teacher competencies for the Netherlands and Flanders are already prescribed by law, the construction of a competency matrix is recommended for specialists in gifted education that combines the general teaching competencies with competencies that apply specifically for gifted education.

Validity Evidence of The HOPE Scale in Korea: Identifying Gifted Students From Low-Income and Multicultural Families

2021 ◽  
pp. 001698622110245
Author(s):  
Hyeseong Lee ◽  
Marcia Gentry ◽  
Yukiko Maeda
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Confirmatory Factor Analysis ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Gifted Education ◽  
Gifted Students ◽  
Factor Loading ◽  
Social Characteristics ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
Gifted Education Teachers ◽  
Low Income Families

The underrepresentation of students from low-income families and of culturally diverse students is a longstanding and pervasive problem in the field of gifted education. Teachers play an important role in equitably identifying and serving students in gifted education; therefore, the Having Opportunities Promotes Excellence (HOPE) Scale was used in this study with a sample of Korean elementary school teachers ( n = 55) and their students ( n = 1,157). Confirmatory factor analysis and multigroup confirmatory factor analysis results suggested the HOPE Scale shows equivalence of model form, factor loading, and factor variances across different income and ethnic groups. A follow-up interview with teachers ( n = 6) revealed they acknowledged the importance of using the HOPE Scale as an additional method for identifying gifted students; however, they indicated less confidence about rating gifted students’ social characteristics compared with academic components in the HOPE Scale.

Preventing Burnout in Teachers of the Gifted

G/C/T ◽  
1982 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peggy Dettmer
Keyword(s):  
Gifted Education ◽  
Teacher Burnout ◽  
Learning Experiences ◽  
Gifted Students ◽  
High Profile ◽  
Staff Person ◽  
Differentiated Learning

The position of a gifted education staff person is high-profile. Inherent in the role are pressures, demands, and criticisms which can lead to burnout. Teacher burnout is debilitating in its personal and professional effects; therefore, teachers of the gifted must capitalize on their strengths and learn strategies for coping with high-visibility roles and often inflated expectations of others. Furthermore, administrators must support and encourage these teachers as they endeavor to provide differentiated learning experiences for gifted students.

Action Research and Practical Inquiry: Multicultural Content Integration in Gifted Education: Lessons from the Field

2002 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 269-289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margie K. Kitano ◽  
Katie S. Pedersen
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Staff Development ◽  
Secondary Teachers ◽  
Gifted Education ◽  
Gifted Students ◽  
Gifted Children ◽  
Content Integration

This article describes the attempt of 2 staff-development practitioners to understand—through practical inquiry—elementary and secondary teachers' multicultural goals and implementation experiences with gifted students in a diverse district. An informal survey of teachers participating in an in-service course on gifted education suggested that many of these teachers had goals and experiences related to multicultural curricula for gifted children. Through the survey, teachers also identified obstacles they encountered in implementing multicultural activities and benefits they perceived. Teachers' stories describing their practice were gathered through observations, written reports, and videotapes. Findings offer several implications for guiding teachers' implementation of content related to diversity.

Providing Equity in Gifted Education in a Single-State Country

2021 ◽  
pp. 001698622110405
Author(s):  
Sema Tan
Keyword(s):  
Gifted Education ◽  
Teacher Candidates ◽  
Gifted Students ◽  
Equal Opportunities ◽  
Gifted Programs ◽  
Careful Planning ◽  
Entire Country ◽  
Single State ◽  
Delivery Options ◽  
Unequal Opportunities

Turkey adopts a single-state (centralized/unitary) system that results in following the same identification procedures and providing similar service delivery options for the entire country. At first glance, this might seem like a fair way to achieve equity within public school gifted programs. However, a close look at this system reveals several handicaps such as implementing the same teacher training program for all teacher candidates, ignoring the unequal opportunities provided in the most (İstanbul) and least (Şırnak) economically developed cities, and the accessibility of services delivered to gifted students. Turkey has paid much attention to the education of the gifted and taken several important steps for improvement in the last three decades. However, a need for bigger changes to achieve equity in gifted education is clear. With a careful planning and implementation, appropriate changes might pave the way for gifted students to access more equal opportunities to fulfill their potential.

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