A significant issue in gifted education is the possible need for mandatory pre-service programs or certifications for educators who work with students who are gifted and talented. It was the primary purpose of this dissertation study to examine the perceptions of three groups of participants (pre-service educators, in-service educators in regular classroom environments, and in-service educators in classrooms for gifted students) to discern if misconceptions exist among the groups about the best practices for identifying and educating students who are gifted. Qualitative methodology was used to collect data via focus group interviews, email interviews, and document analysis. Data were analyzed for emerging trends and common themes in participants' perceptions of best practices for identifying and educating students who are gifted. The results of this study yielded several recommendations, including: (1)the need for more cohesive philosophies of gifted education and in-service training programs at the district level, (2) better defined gifted certification and/or pre-service teacher education program elements for gifted education, and (3) assistance for school districts from gifted education professional organizations or universities with strong backgrounds in gifted education programming to provide quality gifted professional development. The results support further research regarding pre-service education components and best practices in the education of students who are gifted. / Dissertation Chair: Dr. Mary Renck Jalongo Dissertation Committee Members: Dr. Monte Tidwell, Dr. Kelli Paquette, and Dr. James Hooks

Thesis (M.A.)--York University, 2004. Graduate Programme in Psychology. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 97-109). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url%5Fver=Z39.88-2004&res%5Fdat=xri:pqdiss&rft%5Fval%5Ffmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&rft%5Fdat=xri:pqdiss:MQ99286

There is an evident under-representation of Hispanic students in Gifted and Talented (GT) programs. This is due to several reasons including lack of valid instruments, biased standardized tools, biased teacher perceptions, and misinterpretation of tests scores among others. The need to develop and/or validate instruments that reflect students?? cultural backgrounds has become a priority in the U.S. today. The purpose of this study was to analyze the reliability and validity facets of the Hispanic Bilingual Gifted Screening Instrument (HBGSI) developed by Irby and Lara-Alecio (1996), more specifically, the split-half reliability and the concurrent validity when correlated to the Bilingual Verbal Abilities Test (BVAT). Participants were 527 students from two elementary schools in Texas. Students were administered the HBGSI in May 2003 and a reduced sample was administered the BVAT in the latter part of 2003 and the beginning of 2004. Results were analyzed, interpreted and discussed. The researcher found that the HBGSI has evidence of high reliability coefficients using Guttman, Spearman-Brown and Cronbach??s alpha ranging from .93 to .97. Concurrent validity was computed using Pearson correlation coefficient r =.39. Additionally, an exploratory factor analysis was conducted and revealed the existence of 5 factors. Among the primary limitations is the generalizability of the findings. Readers should use caution in applying the findings of this study to other settings and populations. Further research is recommended to establish the concurrent validity of the HBGSI with other achievement measures. In conclusion, there has been a contemporary move to the incorporation of inclusive screening instruments for use with language minority students. This movement suggests the inclusion of portfolio and performance assessment, checklists, and teacher observations in addition to standardized measures. The HBGSI has shown promising results in the arena of Hispanic gifted identification. This instrument is recommended to be used at the first stage of the screening process of potential Hispanic GT students. This study provided insight into the improvement of practices and identification of Hispanic bilingual students.

In 2008, Bryan ISD decided to establish a magnet program for gifted middle school students. The program followed the school-within-a-school model and was housed in an existing middle school situated in an area of the district where a high percentage of the student population came from low socio-economic homes. The purpose of this qualitative case study is to gain an understanding of the experience a gifted student goes through in choosing to attend a new gifted magnet program housed in a school away from their home campus. It examines how students arrived at their decision by taking an in-depth look at their thoughts and decision-making processes, the outside influences on their decision, and their expectations of the program. A qualitative case study research method guided this study. The subjects were middle school students in grades 6-8, who were selected for participation based on random sampling for maximum variation. Six students were selected for participation, of which, two were from each of the three grade levels, four were male, two were female, one was African-American, two were Hispanic, and three were Caucasian. Participant interview responses were compared to responses from the entrance applications of the other 123 magnet students at INQUIRE. The responses of the two different groups of students mirrored each other. The results of the study indicated three emergent themes: 1) the desire for challenge overruled the comfort of the familiar, 2) the need to be surrounded by other students who love learning, and 3) the focus was on the future and not the present. The findings of this study indicate that gifted students chose to attend the new magnet program for the academic challenge and the opportunity to learn alongside other gifted students. They had high expectations of what this program would be able to provide them as they strove to reach their goals. The participation of their friends in the new program was not a factor in their decision to attend. INQUIRE Academy was designed to offer something unusual in public education – the opportunity to cluster gifted students together, to provide them the opportunity to be intellectually stimulated and challenged by working with peers of the same ability level, to offer multi-age classes, and to offer acceleration based upon student need. For the students in this study, INQUIRE Academy accomplished these goals.

There is an evident under-representation of Hispanic students in Gifted and Talented (GT) programs. This is due to several reasons including lack of valid instruments, biased standardized tools, biased teacher perceptions, and misinterpretation of tests scores among others. The need to develop and/or validate instruments that reflect students?? cultural backgrounds has become a priority in the U.S. today. The purpose of this study was to analyze the reliability and validity facets of the Hispanic Bilingual Gifted Screening Instrument (HBGSI) developed by Irby and Lara-Alecio (1996), more specifically, the split-half reliability and the concurrent validity when correlated to the Bilingual Verbal Abilities Test (BVAT). Participants were 527 students from two elementary schools in Texas. Students were administered the HBGSI in May 2003 and a reduced sample was administered the BVAT in the latter part of 2003 and the beginning of 2004. Results were analyzed, interpreted and discussed. The researcher found that the HBGSI has evidence of high reliability coefficients using Guttman, Spearman-Brown and Cronbach??s alpha ranging from .93 to .97. Concurrent validity was computed using Pearson correlation coefficient r =.39. Additionally, an exploratory factor analysis was conducted and revealed the existence of 5 factors. Among the primary limitations is the generalizability of the findings. Readers should use caution in applying the findings of this study to other settings and populations. Further research is recommended to establish the concurrent validity of the HBGSI with other achievement measures. In conclusion, there has been a contemporary move to the incorporation of inclusive screening instruments for use with language minority students. This movement suggests the inclusion of portfolio and performance assessment, checklists, and teacher observations in addition to standardized measures. The HBGSI has shown promising results in the arena of Hispanic gifted identification. This instrument is recommended to be used at the first stage of the screening process of potential Hispanic GT students. This study provided insight into the improvement of practices and identification of Hispanic bilingual students.

Thesis (doctoral)--Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität zu Münster, 1982. / Vita. Discography: p. 273. Includes bibliographical references (p. 274-286) and index.

<p> The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of mathematical acceleration on gifted learners&rsquo; academic achievement. The study compared academic achievement and mathematical attitudes of accelerated and nonaccelerated first through third grade gifted students. The study was conducted using a causal-comparative, quantitative design with pre and post assessments from STAR Math for achievement and the Attitudes Toward Mathematics Inventory to evaluate change in attitudes toward the accelerated subject. Independent samples t-tests were used to analyze the differences in growth in the accelerated gifted groups&rsquo; and nonaccelerated gifted groups&rsquo; STAR Math achievement scores and attitudes on the Attitudes Toward Mathematics Inventory. Results indicated a slight increase for the accelerated gifted learners in the area of achievement. However, the differences in growth in mean scores for achievement was not statistically significant. In the area of attitudes, the domains of enjoyment and confidence reported statistically significant differences in the growth in mean scores for accelerated gifted learners. Nonaccelerated gifted learners showed the greatest growth in mean scores for the doain of motivation. However, the domain of value did not note statistically significant differences in the growth in mean scores for accelerated or nonaccelerated gifted learners.</p>

Metacognition is an umbrella term that encompasses many related constructs about the knowledge and regulation of one's own thinking processes. Metacognitive knowledge about memory and attention has been found to correlate with intelligence levels and has been viewed as one component of giftedness. In this paper, definitions of both metacognition and giftedness are explained and situated in context so that the relationship between the two may be explored further. I also describe traditional and nontraditional methods of identifying children as gifted. While previous studies of metacognitive differences between gifted and nongifted children have been based on students traditionally identified as gifted, my study employed a non-traditional identification method, the DISCOVER assessment. In the study, I examine metacognitive knowledge about three elements: memory, attention, and decision making, in gifted and nongifted second-graders through an interview. The two main purposes of the study were to explore metacognitive knowledge about decision making, which had not been studied previously, and to see if varying the method of identification for giftedness would affect the metacognitive advantage for gifted children found in prior studies. No significant differences were found among the types of metacognitive knowledge studied. Statistically significant differences were found between the scores of gifted and nongifted children, with gifted children demonstrating greater ability to articulate their metacognitive knowledge. A qualitative discussion of students' responses illustrates areas in which the two groups of children differed in their understanding of their own thinking.

<p>The purpose of this eleventh grade Advanced Placement (AP) program study was to determine factors associated with AP placement and subsequent student performance. This research was considered to be a mixed methods case study with elements of arrested action research. One hundred and twenty-four students, four guidance counselors, three AP teachers, and one administrator provided information used to determine if a problem existed in terms of the influx of students into the AP program without a comprehensive set of research-based supports designed to assist struggling students. Student data included instrument measures, structured written response questions, and secondary source information which was obtained from 124 eleventh grade students in 11 different AP classes between these two comprehensive high-schools in this district. Secondary source data was used to gauge academic ability and preparedness which included collecting: Preliminary Standardized Achievement Test (PSAT) scores, cumulative Grade Point Averages (GPAs), AP final class grades, and AP exam scores. All 124 students also completed three self-report measures designed to gauge test anxiety, academic locus of control, and executive functioning. These students also wrote brief responses to five structured written response questions that were aligned to the self-report measures. Four counselors, three AP teachers, and one administrator were interviewed to better understand their views concerning current AP placement practices and strategies used to support academically at-risk and traditionally underserved students. The analyzed data was then used to create a Professional Development (PD) Module inclusive of feasible and low-cost strategies to improve AP grades and exam scores. This PD Module was subsequently implemented for a short duration in three AP classrooms as the first cycle in an action research project. The three AP teachers were then interviewed in order to garner feedback and ideas on how to improve this PD Module. </p><p> <i>Keywords:</i> Advanced Placement (AP), Preliminary Standardized Achievement Test (PSAT), cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA), test-anxiety, academic locus of control, executive functioning, case study, arrested action research, mixed methods, Professional Development (PD) </p>

<p> With more and more focus on accountability, algebra achievement has become a major focus of math curriculum developers. In many states, students are expected to pass standardized Algebra achievement tests in order to satisfy graduation requirements.</p><p> The purpose of this study was to identify teacher qualities and teaching qualities linked to teacher effectiveness in 7th-grade Algebra I Honors. This study examined two aspects of teachers, teacher quality and teaching quality. Teacher quality refers to the characteristics that teachers possess and teaching quality refers to what teachers do in the classroom to foster student learning. For this study, teacher quality included teacher professional preparation characteristics and teacher knowledge. Also, aspects of teaching quality that promote conceptual understanding in Algebra were examined.</p><p> In this mixed methods study, quantitative data were used to determine a relationship between teacher qualifications and student achievement. Qualitative data were used to gain an in-depth understanding of the characteristics of teaching quality.</p><p> Based on the findings of this study, in this group of teachers, there is a relationship between teacher quality and teaching effectiveness; however it is very limited and only based on participation in two specific workshops. The difference between more and less effective teachers in this study lies in teaching quality, what teachers do in the classroom, as opposed to teacher quality, what those teachers bring with them to the classroom.</p><p> The findings of this study indicate that elements of teaching quality are more indicative of teacher effectiveness than elements of teacher quality among teachers in the study. Although there was some evidence of a relationship between elements of teacher quality and teacher effectiveness, there were clear differences in teaching quality among more effective and less effective teachers in this study.</p>