Building on and Extending the Characteristics of Gifted Learners: Implementing the Real Engagement in Active Problem Solving (REAPS) Teaching Model

Real Engagement in Active Problem Solving (REAPS) is an evidence-based model for building on and extending the characteristics of gifted learners, enabling them to develop their exceptional talents. The purposes of this study were to (a) identify teachers who implemented the method at a high level of fidelity and (b) describe their ways of applying principles for talent development in content, processes, products, and learning environments. Fidelity of Implementation was high, ranging from 3.0 to 5.8, with a mean of 4.7 on a scale from 0 to 6. Teachers used methods identified as important for exceptionally talented students: engagement, challenge, interest, and relevance. Administrators enabled this high level of implementation. Because the study was conducted in one school, we recommend extending the research to other schools and contexts, and to consider the importance of real-world problem solving in developing the understanding and values needed to use exceptional talents wisely.

Editorial

Welcome to the second issue of the Australasian Journal of Gifted Education for 2021. I am proud to introduce this issue of the journal, which is a special issue of the work of Professor Emerita C. June Maker and her colleagues on the fidelity of implementation of the Real Engagement in Active Problem Solving (REAPS) model. All four studies that form a part of the special issue were undertaken with Australian participants. The institutions that the authors of the articles represent include the University of Arizona, the University of Georgia, the University of British Columbia, the World Health Organization, and the Vail Unified School District in the United States.

The Influence of Real Engagement in Active Problem Solving on Deep Learning: An Important Component of Exceptional Talent in the 21st Century Context

Exceptional talent includes the ability and willingness to solve varied, complex problems, and having a knowledge structure that facilitates problem solving and creativity. The purpose of this study was to determine changes in students’ knowledge structures resulting from fidelity of implementation of Real Engagement in Active Problem Solving (REAPS), a vehicle for igniting, cultivating, extending, and strengthening exceptional talent. Using regression analysis, we found teachers’ fidelity of implementation was a significant predictor of student growth (F [4, 413] = 7.194, p < .001) in total scores and subscores on concept maps, a measure of knowledge structure. Implementation of principles for talent development in the dimensions of content, processes, products, and learning environment had differential, but positive, effects. Because concept maps have no ceiling, students already scoring at high levels can show growth. Concept maps can be used as assessments of learning, for learning, and as learning.

General Education Teachers’ Perceptions of the Real Engagement in Active Problem Solving (REAPS) Model

The purpose of this study was to explore general education teachers’ perceptions of their experiences while implementing the Real Engagement in Active Problem Solving (REAPS) model. REAPS is an evidence-based teaching model for challenging and engaging gifted students in a variety of settings. Twenty-three teachers answered 7 semi-structured questions. Using a general inductive approach, three coders with extensive experience in education analyzed the data by conducting independent parallel coding. The core theme, Student-Teacher Involvement in the Process of Discovery, was identified as the teachers' perceptions of the REAPS model. The responses were in three main categories: (a) Creating Meaningful Learning-Teaching Experiences, (b) Bridging the Knowing-Doing Gap, and (c) Increasing Learning Effectiveness. Each category included three to four identified subcategories to describe a specific phenomenon from teachers’ responses. Discussion included the core theme and its relationships with the categories and sub-categories. Ways to implement REAPS in classrooms and as a school-wide approach are discussed.

The Role of Teachers’ Implementation of the Real Engagement in Active Problem Solving (REAPS) Model in Developing Creative Problem Solving in Mathematics

Teaching is more effective when students are taught through research-based teaching approaches that have been found to be successful in producing the outcomes they advocate. However, use of an effective instructional strategy does not ensure learning, because the success of a sound approach is determined by how well it is implemented. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of the fidelity of implementation of the Real Engagement in Active Problem Solving (REAPS) teaching model on changes in creative problem solving in mathematics. REAPS is a teaching model that was initially designed to meet the needs of exceptionally gifted and talented learners. However, teachers and researchers have found it to be an effective method for teaching all students. Using a repeated measures t-test, we found that creative problem solving of students in a school in which all teachers implemented the REAPS model improved significantly in total scores as well as accuracy and concept subscores. In addition, we found that the level of fidelity of implementation of the model explained 14.8% of the variance in total creative problem solving in mathematics, 20.1% of the variance in accuracy subscore, and finally 4.5% of the variance in concept subscore. We found evidence that teachers can make a significant impact on students’ creative problem solving in mathematics through a high level of fidelity of implementation of the REAPS model.

Book Review: Jolly, J.L., & Jarvis, J.M. (Eds). (2018). Exploring Gifted Education: Australian and New Zealand Perspectives. Melbourne, Australia: Routledge.

In this first edition book, editors Jolly and Jarvis have compiled a range of important, contemporary gifted education topics. Key areas of concern focus on evidence-based practices and research findings from Australia and New Zealand. Other contributors include 14 gifted education experts from leading Australian and New Zealand Universities and organisations. Exploring Gifted Education: Australian and New Zealand Perspectives, introduced by the editors, is well organised. Jolly and Jarvis’s central thesis in their introduction is to acknowledge the disparity between policy, funding and practice in Australia and New Zealand. Specifically, in relation to Australia, they note that a coordinated, national research agenda is absent, despite recommendations published by the Australian Senate Inquiry almost 20 years ago.

An Interview with Associate Professor Margaret Plunkett

Associate Professor Margaret Plunkett, Federation University, Australia, has over 30 years' experience in education. She currently coordinates and lectures in a range of courses and programs in both secondary and primary education, related to gifted education and professional experience. Margaret has won a number of awards for teaching excellence including the Monash Vice Chancellors Teaching Excellence Award (Special Commendation, 2010); the Pearson/ATEA Teacher Educator of the Year Award (2012); and a National Office of Learning of Learning and Teaching (OLT) Citation in 2014.

Twice-Exceptionality in Australia: Prevalence Estimates

There is a considerable gap in empirical research on the prevalence rates of twice-exceptional students in Australian schools. Governments expect statistics when developing education policy and implementing funding support, so it is therefore imperative, as far as practicable, to quantify the number of twice-exceptional learners in Australia. Within the international literature, a number of different estimates exist of the prevalence of twice-exceptional students. However, the challenges of identifying two (or more) exceptionalities means that the exact prevalence rates of these learners remains unknown. Current research in this area is limited. Given the prevailing notions of giftedness and disability, this article explores the viability of convincingly estimating the number of twice-exceptional students in Australia. Knowledge of this prevalence is important to garner support and funding for these learners across schooling sectors.

Provisions for Gifted and Talented Students in Queensland Rural and Remote High Schools

This study investigated the provisions and other support measures available to gifted students in rural and remote Queensland high schools through a systematic website and document analysis. The aims of the study were to identify those provisions and measures being implemented for identified gifted students in rural and remote Queensland high schools, to identify the provisions and supportive measures that are being implemented most often, and the attitudes in rural and remote Queensland high schools toward provisions and supportive measures for gifted education. One of the recommendations of the study is the need for further in-depth research on provisions and supportive measures for gifted students living in rural and remote areas of Queensland.

Examining the Four Components of Morality within the Senior Secondary English Curricula at a Gifted and Talented School

Moral development in gifted education is an issue of imperative importance due to the potential of gifted students to change the world. In consideration of this issue and the lack of research on the topic, this study examined the extent to which moral development was present within the senior secondary English curricula at an academically selective gifted and talented school. Due to multiple criticisms of the Stages of Moral Development theory, which is commonly used in educational research on morality, this study was guided by an alternative framework - Rest's Four Component Model of Morality. The findings of the study indicated that moral development was reflected only to a limited extent within the English curricula offered at the academically selective gifted and talented school.