The lack of academic achievement at the high school level among some gifted students has long been a concern of educators. This research had two purposes: First, to determine if there was a relationship among learning style, academic self-concept and academic achievement with gifted high school students; and second, to understand an individual who was representative of these characteristics identified in part one and determine what life experiences have affected this student’s underachievement. A quasi-experimental design was selected for the quantitative portion of this study to accomplish the first purpose. The design began with the hypothesis that there was a relationship among these variables and employed the use of two self-report instruments, the Learning Style Inventory by Dunn, Dunn, and Price (1989) and the Student Attitude Measure by Wick (1991). Participants for this portion of the study were taken from a population of 93 gifted students at one suburban high school. A parent meeting was held to explain the purpose of the testing; then permission letters were sent to the parents. Seventy-four parents responded, establishing the sample size. The results were compiled using the SYSTAT statistical program. Academic achievement was high for gifted students who showed a preference for studying in a quiet, warm place, were persistent and parent/teacher motivated, and who preferred to learn in several ways but did not prefer to learn through auditory methods or to move around while studying. This finding was the same regardless of the academic self-concept. The selection of the qualitative portion of the study was based on the relationship among learning style, academic self-concept, and low academic achievement. The selected student had a low academic self-concept score, a learning style different from the one stated above, and low academic achievement based on the grades during the year in which the testing took place. This study identified a number of factors which had an impact upon this individual and highlighted the importance of professionals’ awareness of each individual’s unique perceptions and life situations that affect underachievement rather than looking for a panacea. / Ed. D.

Research findings emphasize the need for programs for the gifted reader, particularly the need to determine which methods or programs best benefit the gifted student. The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of the Junior Great Books (JGB) literature program on reading comprehension achievement of gifted fifth grade students due to the factors of a) discussion/non-discussion and b) levels of students' experience in the JGB program. This study was replicated to determine if similar results in reading comprehension achievement occurred by using different JGB stories. In addition, the study explored methodological issues of cross-level inferences to determine if different results were obtained when applying the General Linear Model to individual-level and aggregate-level data. The research was experimental in design. Seventy-eight fifth grade gifted students were randomly assigned to eight groups in two schools, four treatment groups with discussion and four control groups without discussion. Students in one school had no prior JGB experience; students in the other school had a range of one to three years JGB experience. Two different JGB literature stories, randomly selected, were read by all groups. Reading comprehension was measured, pre and post, by an instrument that emerged from the JGB stories using the cloze procedure. Additional data to measure students' achievement in the form of responses to openended questions about the JGB literature stories were collected. Observations of groups featuring discussions/non-discussions were taped and rated to determine whether appropriate formats were followed by the leaders. Individual-level data and aggregate—level data were analyzed using a two—way ANOVA with nesting using the General Linear Model of the Statistical Analysis System (SAS). lt was found, and supported by study replication, that there were no significant differences between those fifth grade gifted students who participated in the JGB s program with discussion and those who did not. Nor were there differences due to level of experience in the JGB program. Similar results were obtained when applying the General Linear Model to individual—level and aggregate-level data. Further investigation of the JGB program and related methods and procedures involved in the study were suggested. / Ph. D.

Syftet med studien var att undersöka den kunskap och förståelse som HR-chefer besitter gällande särbegåvning kopplat till rekrytering med utgångspunkt från 12 deltagare där samtliga personer arbetar som HR-chefer i olika organisationer med olika lång arbetslivserfarenhet. Studien utfördes med en kvalitativ metod och materialet insamlades genom semi-strukturerade intervjuer. Deltagarna utgjordes av 6 kvinnor och 6 män och tillhörde olika organisationer som var utspridda på 10 olika orter i Sverige. Det insamlade materialet analyserades med hjälp av en tematisk analys som resulterade i fyra huvudteman: definitioner och förståelse, social problematik, normalitet och jantelag och rekryteringsprocessen, med tillhörande underteman. Resultatet visade att majoriteten av deltagarna besitter en begränsad kunskap och förståelse av särbegåvning och att de inte har någon specifik strategi eller metod för att identifiera särbegåvade i ett rekryteringsförfarande. Resultatet visade även att deltagarna inte ansåg att särbegåvade har det svårare än andra i rekryteringsprocessen. Studien visade att särbegåvning inte är ett omtalat ämne på arbetsplatser.

Federal and state descriptions of gifted and talented services include identifying and developing leadership talent, but in many states, services are not mandated or funded. Consequently, leadership development is often left to extracurricular programs (e.g., student organizations, athletics). The Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) provides school-based military-focused leadership education and opportunities to apply emergent leadership skills. This qualitative descriptive study examined leadership talent development in JROTC and the postsecondary paths participants chose. A self-report survey was distributed to graduating seniors enrolled in JROTC in Texas public high schools and semi-structured interviews were conducted with JROTC instructors across the state. The findings highlighted characteristics of students in the sample who chose to pursue military-focused education or careers after high school and themes about the experiences and key considerations related to choosing postsecondary paths. JROTC instructors supported students with differentiated development plans and information about flexible pathways to reach postsecondary goals. Students benefitted from broad definitions of success, exposure to career options, realistic self-assessment, and alignment between intentions and preparation.

In the majority of schools gifted learners are given the same quantity and quality of academic work as their non-gifted classmates. In some cases gifted learners are left to look after themselves when they are done with class work or worse still, asked to teach their non-gifted classmates. Some educationists advocate for a differentiated curriculum between gifted and non-gifted learners. This study sought to establish the impact of enrichment programs to gifted Science learners. Forty gifted learners were identified and drawn equally into one of the two groups — experimental or control. These learners wrote a pre-test after which the twenty learners in the experimental group received enrichment. The forty learners then wrote the same post-test to assess their understanding of the concepts learnt. The cycle was repeated but with a different topic. Learners’ marks were compared and it emerged all twenty learners in the experimental group performed better than those in the control group. Gifted learners should therefore be given enrichment as it deepens, broadens, and sharpens their understanding of concepts. / Science and Technology Education / M. Ed. (Natural Science Education)

Elever med särskild begåvning är en elevgrupp som kan behöva stöd och särskilda anpassningar för att utvecklas optimalt i skolan. Skolverket har nyligen uppmärksammat elevgruppen och tagit fram ett stödmaterial för skolor. Kunskap om dessa elevers behov saknas dock i stor utsträckning hos lärare och specialpedagoger, då den varit begränsad tidigare, både i lärarutbildning och i skolan, även om vissa erfarenheter utvecklats under senare tid. Föräldrar till särskilt begåvade barn har erfarenheter som är viktiga att undersöka för en ökad kunskap. För att skapa förutsättningar för en stimulerande skolgång för elevgruppen behöver specialpedagoger på många håll utveckla ett bra bemötande, här har föräldrar till särskilt begåvade barn erfarenheter som är viktiga att undersöka för en ökad kunskap. Syftet med uppsatsen är att belysa hur skolan bemött särskilt begåvade barn. Det görs genom föräldrarnas beskrivningar och erfarenheter. Uppsatsen avser att visa på vilka hindrande faktorer som föräldrarna upplevt i möten mellan hem och skola och vilka möjligheter skolan gett för barnets välmående och en gynnsam utveckling. Studien behandlar hur föräldrarna beskriver att de och deras barn har blivit bemötta av skolan, hur skolans bemötande påverkat barnets välbefinnande och möjlighet till utveckling, samt vilka aktiviteter och åtgärder i skolan som har uppfattats som gynnsamma. Kvalitativ intervju och innehållsanalys har använts i uppsatsen. Undersökningen har ett ekologisk systemteoretiskt perspektiv. Sammanlagt har 18 föräldrar djupintervjuats. Studien beskriver skolerfarenheter som gäller 18 barn; 12 pojkar och 6 flickor, med en medelålder på 11,5 år. Resultat visar när det gäller föräldrars erfarenhet av skolans bemötande att lärare, specialpedagoger och skolledning i hög grad saknar kunskap om särskilt begåvade barn. Konsekvensen av det blir att föräldrar behöver ta stort ansvar för att barnets behov av anpassningar tillgodoses. Majoriteten av föräldrarna har erfarenheter av bristande förståelse och stöd från skolan, och av att ha blivit ifrågasatta. Studien visar också att barnets beteende kan påverka hur barnet blir bemött. Det finns stora skillnader i hur barnen blivit bemötta, alltifrån en vilja att förstå och skapa förutsättningar för ett gott lärande, till en avvisande attityd där barnet direkt eller indirekt ifrågasatts. Skolans bemötande har gett konsekvenser av att många av barnen bytt skola flera gånger i syfte att hitta en skola som klarat av att bemöta barnet utifrån dess förutsättningar. Studien visar också att en bristande kunskap och förståelse hos lärare och skolledning ger risk för utanförskap och att barnets kunskapsutveckling inte sker utifrån den potential som barnet besitter. De gynnsamma aktiviteter och åtgärder som framkommit är en flexibel organisation som tillgodoser barnets behov och skapar anpassningar utifrån barnets helhetssituation. De rekommendationer som kan dras från studien är att åtgärder och anpassningar bör utgå ifrån en helhetsbild av barnets situation, vilket innebär att en pedagogisk kartläggning, förutom barnets kunskapsnivå, även bör innefatta barnets sociala situation och emotionella mognad. Föräldrar och elevens erfarenhet är därför viktiga beståndsdelar i den pedagogiska kartläggningen. Uppsatsen har även visat att viktiga områden att studera vidare är hur man identifierar elever med särskild begåvning. En annan viktig frågeställning gäller de elever vars begåvningsprofil visar på mycket god förmåga inom det visuo-spatiala området. I studien finns indikationer på att det är en grupp som riskerar att komma i kläm i skolan.

The current mainstream classroom presents several challenges for teachers and principals. Leaner diversity is seen as one of these challenges that teachers face. The Education White Paper 6 (South-Africa, 1996) recognizes all learner diversities, yet gifted-education is given minimal attention. The purpose of this qualitative research is to create a clear picture about the perspectives of high-school teachers, principals and parents of academically-gifted learners. This study seeks to identify the participants’ views about the education of academically-gifted learners and identify possibly gaps in ways of how academically-gifted learners can be supported productively. The research found that there is currently a lack of adequate educational support to academically-gifted learners. Research shows that there is a gap between official educational policies and the classroom situation. Participants in the study admit that academically-gifted learners are not effectively included in the mainstream classroom. Participants believe that the lack of a national definition of academic-giftedness, the deficit to appropriate training for teachers and the views of inclusive education puts strain on the education of these learners. Secondary school teachers and principals believe that the successful implementation of a policy an appropriate education of academically-gifted learners can only be accomplished if there is cooperation between all interested parties. Participants believe that both the parent and the teachers of academically-gifted learners should work together to form a support network for these learners. The findings of the research confirm the need for appropriate productive education and training to academically-gifted learners, so that all stakeholders can work together to help those learners develop. / MEd (Comparative Education), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

The underrepresentation of gifted Black and Biracial students is a pervasive problem in and of itself, and indicates a much larger struggle of disproportionality of Black and Biracial students who are not called upon or supported in efforts to meet their academic potential. Therefore, an evaluation of the inequity generated by gifted education is warranted. It is true that the majority of gifted programs are often predominantly White. Accordingly, Black and Biracial students who qualify for gifted programs may face unique challenges in their development of racial identity and their socio-emotional health. Using ethnographic techniques, this case study explored the ways that Discovery School, a predominantly White gifted school (PWGS), addresses race. It asked how Black and Biracial students at Discovery School understood themselves as racial beings. The fundamental research questions that guided this study were: (1) how is race addressed at a PWGS, and (2) how does a student of color feel Otherness at a PWGS? The case study was designed, and findings were analyzed, through the theoretical lens of critical race theory. Data was collected through several means, including interviews, surveys, direct observation, and email prompts. Interviews were conducted with four gifted students of color, three teachers, and three parents. Surveys were sent home for student participants and their parents to fill out together. Teachers and administrators were asked to complete two email interview questions. Throughout the data collection, I frequently observed students learning and playing at the school and recorded field notes. Findings indicate that: 1. Talented and gifted students thrive in programs that are uniquely tailored to meet their advanced academic and cognitive needs. 2. Policies and inadequate communication act as barriers for gifted Black and Biracial students. 3. Within a positive educational community, racial microaggressions- including the silencing of racial dialogue and individual bullying- exist. The results of this study suggest that Discovery School operates in ways that benefit the participants of the study. Overall, the student participants (and most parent participants) were satisfied with their experiences at Discovery School. Additionally, results indicate that Discovery School could strengthen their program with a commitment to diversifying the student population and implementing culturally responsive pedagogy and antiracist practices that change the consciousness of education professionals and offer support systems for gifted Black and Biracial students, and develop curriculum that is more reflective of students of color.

<p>Gifted elementary students in a congregated educational program (n = 165) were compared to gifted peers in regular programming (n = 49) in an urban, Western-Canadian, public, school division. Mean scores on measures of self-concept (Multidimensional Self Concept Scale), classroom environment (Classroom Environment Scale), and student life satisfaction (Multidimensional Student Life Satisfaction Scale) were analyzed. MANOVAs revealed main effects of educational programming and no mediating effects of gender or grade level. Students in the congregated program had lower academic self-concept than students in regular programming, replicating the commonly found Big-Fish-Little-Pond Effect (Marsh, 1987). There was also some weak indication that students in the specialized program had lower satisfaction with "self" than those in the regular program. In contrast, students in the specialized program thought their programming to be more innovative relative to how the other group perceived theirs was. However, all differences were of small-to-moderate magnitude (.5 SDs). Moreover, all scores for all measures were at, or slightly above, levels typically found in normally developing peers. </p>

<p>Gifted elementary students in a congregated educational program (n = 165) were compared to gifted peers in regular programming (n = 49) in an urban, Western-Canadian, public, school division. Mean scores on measures of self-concept (Multidimensional Self Concept Scale), classroom environment (Classroom Environment Scale), and student life satisfaction (Multidimensional Student Life Satisfaction Scale) were analyzed. MANOVAs revealed main effects of educational programming and no mediating effects of gender or grade level. Students in the congregated program had lower academic self-concept than students in regular programming, replicating the commonly found Big-Fish-Little-Pond Effect (Marsh, 1987). There was also some weak indication that students in the specialized program had lower satisfaction with "self" than those in the regular program. In contrast, students in the specialized program thought their programming to be more innovative relative to how the other group perceived theirs was. However, all differences were of small-to-moderate magnitude (.5 SDs). Moreover, all scores for all measures were at, or slightly above, levels typically found in normally developing peers. </p>