No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

Children from divergent populations are not equitably represented in programs for the gifted. A commonly cited cause is over-reliance on standardized test scores. An equally important cause may be that children, who do not fit the profile of a "typical" gifted child created by Terman (1925), seldom are referred for assessment. Terman's research has been sharply criticized for bias in selection procedures, but his conclusions are still generalized to all gifted children. In traditional identification procedures, nomination is based, consciously or subconsciously, on a definition of giftedness and "typical" characteristics described by Terman. Expanded assessment procedures were implemented in targeted schools in a large southwestern school district to increase representation of children from minority populations. As other schools in the district continued to use traditional procedures, a unique opportunity arose to compare characteristics of families of gifted children from targeted and nontargeted schools. Data were collected from families (N = 150) of children placed in first or second grade classes for the gifted during the past two years. Questions were designed to elicit information in categories similar to those used by Terman in 1921-22 and compatible with statistics reported in the U.S. census. Four groups of variables were investigated and comparisons made (a) between the families of gifted children in Targeted and Nontargeted Groups, (b) between Targeted, Nontargeted, and Terman Groups, and (c) between families in Targeted and Nontargeted Groups and families in the community population. Results show the Targeted Group differs significantly from the Nontargeted Group in economic, ethnic/cultural, and educational experience variables. The groups do not differ in family constellation variables. Clear differences exist between the Targeted and Terman Groups in all variables; the Nontargeted and Terman Groups are similar in economic and educational attainment variables. With the exception of higher minority representation in the Targeted Group, that group and the community population are similar. The Nontargeted Group differs from the community population in all economic variables and educational attainment, a result that supports charges of bias in traditional identification procedures. Expanded assessment procedures are recommended for more equitable representation of children from all populations in programs for the gifted.

Gardner (1985) defines intelligence broadly as the ability to solve problems and create products as well as to find or create new problems. He also suggests that every normal individual has the capacity to develop abilities in seven different areas or types of intelligence. Maker (1992, in press) hypothesizes that gifted individuals competently solve problems of all types, that is, problems ranging from well-defined to ill-defined. In this study of spatial intelligence, the theories of both researchers were tested. The primary purpose of the study was to describe behaviors that could be observed, processes subjects reported using, and characteristics of products subjects created as they solved the series of spatial problems. A secondary purpose of the study was to determine if careful observation of processes subjects employed, combined with the subject's report of processes used and an evaluation of products produced could, indeed, paint a clear picture of the subject's spatial abilities. Six research questions guided the study. The three primary areas of investigation were (a) the similarities and/or differences of behaviors observed, processes reported, and characteristics of products across tasks for individual subjects, (b) the similarities and/or differences of behaviors observed, processes reported, and characteristics of products across subjects for each task, and (c) the similarities and/or differences of behaviors observed, processes reported, and characteristics of products to Gardner's description of spatial intelligence. The researcher delineated eight broad categories of observed behaviors, two broad categories of processes reported, and nine characteristics of finished products. She noted both similarities and differences in behaviors, processes, and products across subjects for tasks and across tasks for subjects. Subjects reported that they used processes similar to those described by Gardner (1985); Gardner does not establish behaviors that can be observed as subjects solve spatial problems, nor does he clearly establish characteristics that might be included in products subjects created. Therefore, the behaviors noted and the characteristics of products created by the subjects in this study allowed the researcher to further define spatial intelligence. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

The purpose of this study was to compare three different types of programming options for identified gifted and talented middle school students.

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No description available.

Special classes for gifted students began in North America in the late 19th century. Since that time, educators have directed much attention towards the special needs of students with gifts and talents. Nevertheless, compared the education of children with disabilities, programs for the education of the gifted have been sprinkled throughout our country on a small scale at best. Funding has always been tenuous and gifted education has been, and is, considered margianl to mainstream education. / vii, 111 leaves ; 29 cm.

No description available.