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

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.

Creative writing expression skills and their availability among linguistically gifted middle school students

The aim of the current research is to determine the appropriate creative writing expression skills for linguistically gifted middle school students (first grade of middle school) and know their availability. To achieve the goal of the research, the researchers followed each of the descriptive approach when reviewing previous studies and preparing the theoretical framework, and the experimental one-group approach when applying Research tools, and the search group consisted of linguistically gifted first-grade pupils, and their number reached (37) male and female students. They were selected according to the linguistically gifted student identification and detection tools identified in the current research. The two researchers prepared a list of the characteristics of linguistically gifted pupils (cognitive - emotional - linguistic), numbering (56), and the other with the skills of creative writing expression appropriate for the first grade linguistically gifted preparatory students, which number (14) skills, and tested the skills of creative writing for the first graders of the gifted middle school. Linguistically. By applying the prepared test, the research found the weakness of the creative writing skills of first grade, linguistically gifted middle school pupils at levels of (fluency - flexibility - originality).

Being gifted in Turkey: Educational and social experiences of high-ability students

This phenomenological study explored the educational and social experiences of eight gifted middle school students from Turkey. Data were collected from in-depth semi-structured interviews. The findings indicated that boredom and teacher ineffectiveness were among the most common problems that the participant students faced at school. The students also complained about the high-stakes tests that they believed were more anxiety-provoking than their worth. The students reported experiencing high levels of stress and burnout. The findings revealed that having high ability was not a handicap for developing good social relationships, but being labeled as gifted may lead to some negative outcomes based solely on the stigmatization. The overall findings suggested that the parents of these students were aware of their child’s unique needs. However, not all parents knew how to effectively respond to these needs.

The Relationship Between Psychological Symptoms, Creativity, and Loneliness in Gifted Children

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between psychological symptoms, creativity, and loneliness among gifted middle school students and to analyze gender difference in psychological symptoms. The study used a correlational design, consisting of 91 gifted middle school students. The Brief Symptom Inventory, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Loneliness Scale, and the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking were used as data-collection instruments. The results showed that there was no significant difference between gifted female and male students in the Brief Symptom Inventory total score and subscales except in the depression subscale. In addition, the Brief Symptom Inventory including subscales was significantly and positively correlated with the UCLA Loneliness Scale. There was no significant correlation between the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking and the other scales. Loneliness was found to be a significant predictor of psychological symptoms. The results of this study suggest that loneliness is a major factor for the psychological well-being of gifted students.