Problem Finding, Divergent Thinking, and Evaluative Thinking Among Gifted and Nongifted Students

Investigations of differences between gifted and nongifted students have examined cognitive abilities, including intelligence quotient (IQ) differences, higher order thinking skills, and divergent thinking (DT). However, little is known about differences in problem finding (PF). Moreover, previous works on gifted students have never explored associations between PF and evaluative thinking (ET). Both PF and ET play a role in the creative process. The present study tested relationships between PF, DT, and ET and examined differences between gifted ( N = 175) and nongifted students ( N = 188). An analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed significant differences between gifted and nongifted students’ PF, DT, and ET, with effect sizes (η2) ranging from 0.048 to 0.192. Gender differences were also analyzed; gifted girls scored significantly higher than gifted boys in PF fluency and originality, DT originality, and in ET in PF. Originality scores in DT and PF significantly predicted the accuracy of students’ ET ( R2 = 34%–42%). Finally, canonical correlation analyses showed moderate-to-strong correlations between DT, PF, and ET scores. Limitations of this study are discussed.

Welcome to the Table: A Bourdieusian Take on Gifted New Zealand Young Women

The field of gifted and talented studies has its origins in the intelligence quotient research of the late 19th and early 20th century. These psychological foundations remain a strong influence even though the field has since expanded to include other paradigms and greater diversity in conceptions of giftedness and talent. Some researchers argue that the field could benefit from greater interdisciplinary engagement, especially in studies of gifted and talented girls, which tend to include a focus on how gifted girls’ external environments influence their emotional worlds. This article proposes that concepts developed by critical sociologist Pierre Bourdieu are useful for expanding and deepening understandings of the internal and external worlds of gifted and talented girls. It offers evidence from a recent qualitative study with academically gifted and talented teenaged girls in New Zealand. The results highlighted the marginalised position of the gifted and talented identity and the privileging of identities that were based on dispositions versus innate ability. The study also identified a hierarchy of valued forms of capital within the teenage girl social landscape and a resulting theorisation of an empowered gifted and talented girl habitus. This article demonstrates how Bourdieu’s work is a constructive addition to the field.

Gifted Girls and Women

There are many special characteristics and needs of gifted girls and women throughout the lifespan. As young girls, gifted girls can often be identified by early language development and precocious reading, and often need early admission to schooling, the opportunity for alone time, and encouragement and specialized training in the domains of their greatest interest. Adolescent gifted girls are often bored in school, conflicted about relationships and achievement, and eager for mentoring; they may need to advance through high school and early entry to college course-taking as well as strong relationships with master teachers and mentors. Gifted teens also need clear information about sexuality and sexual identity, particularly about the association of early sexual activity with lower achievement. Gifted women struggle throughout the world with gender relations, that is, the requirements by most societies that they bear an unequal share of the work of marriage and family life. How gifted women negotiate the dual demands of their societies often determines whether or not they will achieve eminence in their fields. Long-standing controversies concerning sex differences, women’s education, and definitions of eminence continue to have an impact on the educational and career development of gifted girls and women. Moderate sex differences favoring boys and men in sub-factors of cognitive abilities, like spatial-rotation abilities, continue to be highly publicized and are often interpreted to mean that gifted girls and women are less able than men to achieve in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields. Differences in adult gifted women’s and men’s STEM achievement are also attributed to preferences, when research shows that the most important variable associated with highest achievements are responsibilities in marriage and child-rearing, or gender relations. Controversies over single-sex education continue, with research both supporting and disputing the superiority of single-sex education for women; it may be that gifted women benefit more that average women from this kind of higher education. Whether single-sex or co-educational, the presence of a mentor may be most important to gifted women’s academic and career development. Finally, the concepts of eminence and genius are increasingly under scrutiny by scholars who claim they are highly gendered, with genius nearly always being associated with male dominated professions. Each of these controversies can affect gifted girls’ self-confidence, engagement, and persistence.

Exploring Kerr and McKay’s Beehive of Smart Girls: Understanding the Challenges Facing Gifted Adolescent Females

For gifted girls, the journey toward self-actualization can be particularly challenging during adolescence. To better support gifted adolescent girls, this article explores a contemporary framework for understanding smart girls of the 21st century: Kerr and McKay’s beehive of smart girls. Kerr and McKay’s typology highlights how different combinations of characteristics ultimately create rich variations of gifts and talents—instead of assuming all smart girls have the same characteristics, experiences, and visions. Building on their framework, this article (a) offers additional insights into how each type of smart girl may experience gifted adolescence, (b) suggests potential barriers to self-actualization each type of smart girl may face, and (c) invites voices of educators from middle and high school classrooms to share their own reflections and insights of how they have come to know each type of smart girl.