The purpose of this study was to determine if the four assessments for entrance into an academic middle school gifted English program were accurately predicting success, as measured by students’ grades each nine-week grading period. Some students were dismissed from the program each year because they could not maintain the required minimum average of 80%. The four entrance assessments evaluated were the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT), Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test (NNAT), STEP Writing test, and the Iowa Test of Basic Skills: Reading (ITBS). The sample consisted of 150 sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students studied longitudinally over the span of four years from a suburban middle school in a large Texas school district. Using correlation, logistic regression, and generalized linear regression models, the results showed that all the students selected to participate in the middle school gifted English program were statistically capable of success, whether they successfully remained in the program or not. Additionally, the results indicated that the two achievement tests (ITBS Reading and STEP Writing test) better predicted which students were successful, whereas the aptitude tests (CogAT and NNAT) did not. The achievement tests were determined to be better predictors of students’ success, as measured by grades, in this rigorous academic middle school gifted English program. Other findings include (a) students’ grades increased over time in the program, (b) females were predicted to earn about two point higher grades than males, and (c) the individual student was a significant predictor of success based on entrance scores. Finally, several recommendations were made for future research. These possibilities include repeating this study using standard scores for data analysis rather than the percentile scores that were available for this investigation. An additional recommendation is to investigate a possible replacement for the STEP Writing test, as it has not been nationally normed in decades. Another possibility would be to evaluate the curriculum and teacher effectiveness within the district using the NAGC (2010b) Pre-K-Grade 12 Gifted Programming Standards. A final potential study could implement specific interventions for use with students at-risk for underachievement to determine which strategies are most effective.

In 2005, the Ministry of Education in New Zealand released 'The Schooling Strategy, Making a Bigger Difference for all Students' (Ministry of Education, 2005). This is intended as a framework for ongoing effort and improvement in education for the five years from 2005 to 2010. One of the strategic priorities in this document, is to promote evidence-based practice. With evidence-based practice, teachers combine evidence from a number of sources to inform their professional judgements and practice. This includes research evidence about effective pedagogy. Teachers, it states, need to be supported to 'base their practice on principles of what works from research evidence and adapting it to their classroom context' (p.39). In looking at the practices of schools in catering for gifted and talented students, therefore, it is appropriate, to look at the findings of research. This research is useful in underpinning 'best practice'. This study reviews the literature concerning the education of gifted and talented children from both national and international perspectives. It then looks at current New Zealand practice, based on four case-study primary schools. There are very encouraging signs that these schools are well into the journey of catering for their gifted and talented students. Each school in this study has responded to the challenge of provision as best it can, within constraints of individual school situations. Each school also sees the development of this provision as an ongoing process. From Term 1, 2005, all state and state integrated schools must be able to show how they are meeting the needs of their gifted and talented learners. The main findings of this study suggest that even before the amendment to this National Administration Guideline (NAG) 1(iii)c, there were some promising and effective provisions for gifted and talented children within schools. These included school-wide and withdrawal provisions. However, since the change to the NAG and the involvement of schools in gifted and talented professional development courses, there has been increased awareness of the need for classroom teachers to differentiate their programmes in order to more effectively cater for this group of learners. New Zealand primary school classrooms with a learner centred philosophy appear to be well suited to programme differentiation. There is increasingly an emphasis within general teaching practice on individualizing programmes based on assessment data which clearly shows where the child is at, and what the next learning step will be. Current professional development contracts promoting practices such as inquiry learning, curriculum integration and thinking skills seem to have particular promise for this group of learners. It is very evident, however, that a lack of time and energy is a significant barrier for classroom teachers wishing to provide for the specific needs of gifted and talented learners. It is also suggested that some schools, in particular low decile and small rural schools, may be unfairly disadvantaged in their ability to provide for gifted and talented learners. The challenge for schools now, it is suggested, is to continue the journey towards a school-wide commitment to best practice in providing for this group of learners. Special consideration for this group of learners should be integrated into the context of all pre-service training and in-service professional development, as part of a differentiated programme for all learners. A vital component of this is ongoing practical support for teachers based on their expressed need, to enable them to effectively translate theory into practice, and thus implement and embed any appropriate approach, based on research findings, effectively.

Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1990. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 143-154). Also available in print.

Forty-seven gifted and non-gifted African American and Caucasian students in grades third through fifth were rated by their teachers on the Universal Academic, Cognitive, Creativity, and Emotion Screening Scale (UACCESS) (McCallum & Bracken, in press). Internal consistency was high with Chronbach’s alphas ranging from .97 to .99 and correlation coefficients for the six scales ranged from .42 to .92. Factorial MANOVA’s for each composite scale showed no significant score differences between African American and Caucasian students. There was a significant difference in scores based on placement, with higher scores in favor of gifted students on both the General Aptitude Composite (Wilk’s Lambda=. 70, F(3,41) = 5.87, p <. 01 and the Specific Academic Aptitude Composite (Wilk’s Lambda=. 73, F(3,41) = 5.03, p <. 01. There were no interaction effects for placement x race. A discriminant analysis using the six UACCESS scales resulted in 76.6% of participants being correctly classified as gifted or non-gifted. There were no score differences across gender. Based on the results of this study, the UACCESS shows some promise as an effective gifted screening instrument to supplement the referral/nomination process.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Wollongong, 2009. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references: leaf 319-334.

M.Ed. (Psychology of Education) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine whether Olympiad participation can develop problem-solving skills in mathematically-gifted learners from disadvantaged schools. My methodological approach was QUAN→Qual, using a quasi-experimental design with a non-equivalent comparison group. I chose two schools from the same disadvantaged area, and identified the top 50 Grade 7 learners in each school by mathematics marks. The study consisted of a pre-test, three mathematics sessions and a post-test. The Study Orientation in Mathematics Questionnaire (SOM) (Maree, Prinsloo, & Claassen, 2011) was used as the pre- and post-test, and a focus group explored the learners’ experience of the SOM. In the mathematics sessions, the intervention group worked through past papers of the SA Mathematics Challenge (South African Mathematics Foundation, 2018), and the alternative intervention group completed worksheets from a Department of Basic Education workbook. My study revealed a positive relationship between success in traditional Mathematics and Study Attitude, Study Habits and overall Study Orientation, and an interaction between disadvantage and success in Mathematics. Participants were less disadvantaged than their surroundings would indicate, and had higher Mathematics anxiety than expected for their achievement level. The intervention did not increase problem-solving behaviour and both the quantitative and qualitative findings showed that the participants found the Olympiad type questions unfamiliar and difficult. This unfamiliarity is indicative of the limited enrichment opportunities for mathematically-gifted learners in disadvantaged areas of South Africa. Greater experience of Mathematics Olympiads is suggested to help mathematically-gifted disadvantaged learners live up to their problem-solving potential. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2020. / Educational Psychology / MEd (LSGC) / Unrestricted

The purpose of this study was to examine gifted education programs in public schools in Northeast Tennessee. There is a wide disparity among established gifted programs regarding the identification of the students, the eligibility of the students, and the services they receive. This disparity has led to varying levels of support and service for gifted children in Northeast Tennessee. A survey was developed and distributed to individuals who oversee the gifted department in their school system. Data were collected regarding gifted student identification processes, individual program requirements, funding of gifted programs, professional development, and advanced teacher training. National research has been directed towards the identification of gifted students and the types of programs that might be optimal for students with high intellectual abilities. This study was a descriptive analysis of the identification process of gifted children and the programs and policies in place in a purposeful sample of the school systems of Northeast Tennessee. This researcher examined various aspects of funding allocation for this special population. There are significant differences in the allocation and use of resources by Tennessee school systems. The researcher also sought to identify the programs that are offered for gifted students. This study revealed that some school systems in Northeast Tennessee do not have established gifted programs. The school systems that do have established gifted programs vary. Some of these schools provided a modified gifted program that included two types of pullout programs. In the first type, students left the regular classroom or were pulled out to go to a separate classroom to receive gifted instruction once a week. In the second type, students were pulled out once every two weeks. Many of the respondents reported they provided differentiated instruction for all students. Of the school systems that had established programs, respondents reported that their schools had written objectives or philosophies for their gifted programs. The reported need for financial support was great. According to the respondents, more funds were needed to support teacher training, hire more personnel (teachers and administrators), purchase materials, and extend programs.

This thesis explored teacher and student perceptions of classroom pedagogical practices as they may impact gifted children's motivation to learn. Because engaging gifted students can be uniquely challenging, teachers may need to tailor the teaching and learning experience to motivate them in ways that encourage them to succeed to their full potential. This exploratory study examined relationships among various pedagogical practices employed by a teacher and gifted student motivation. Ultimately, results of this study may lay a foundation for best practices for teaching gifted students.

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