The study aims to describe variation in the expression of students’ mathematical ability and the various ways in which their mathematical aptitude is acknowledged and supported by their teachers, parents and peers in a Swedish context. Ability is defined as a complex of various abilities each of which may be more or less pronounced in a given individual. The study is based on ten case studies of highly able students (ages 6-19). Six of the studies are longitudinal, ranging from three to six years. In order to validate the results of the case studies, two survey studies were carried out involving 180 teachers (preschool to Grade 9 in Swedish compulsory school) and 284 mathematics developers from 229 Swedish municipalities. The survey studies raised questions concerning the teachers’ personal experience of identifying and supporting highly able students, the nature of their everyday teaching, and the support given to able students. The results show that mathematical abilities can take many different forms and there is great need for pedagogical support for this group of students. Since extra resources are rarely available for the benefit of nurturing talent and since there are, as yet, no Swedish national or local policy documents that specifically address the support of talent in students, teachers are on their own in figuring out how to best help able students develop mathematically. The study points to the importance of the social norms that influence the interaction between teacher and student(s): everyday social norms as well as socio-mathematical norms, i.e. norms specific to the subject of mathematics. The latter place considerable demands on the teachers’ mathematical knowledge and competence. The benefits of early interventions, of supportive teaching environments, and of providing the students with challenging tasks and questions are also discussed.

Il lavoro ha esplorato il tema dello sviluppo del talento nello sport a partire da una prospettiva psicosociale. Per fare questo si è posto due obiettivi principali: il primo di esplorare la letteratura sul talento nello sport per identificare quelle teorie che meglio potessero rispecchiare l'approccio psicosociale. Il secondo obiettivo è stato quello di studiare empiricamente come le relazioni impattano sul benessere psicologico dei giovani atleti, ipotizzando che esso si possa considerare una condizione particolarmente favorevole per lo sviluppo del potenziale. La ricerca condotta non solo ha identificato con successo una serie di teorie che sostengono l'utilizzo dell'approccio psicosociale allo sviluppo del talento, ma ha anche dimostrato come migliori relazioni, mediate da una serie di variabili psicologiche individuali, vadano ad influenzare positivamente il benessere psicologico di giovani calciatori, e quindi secondo l'ipotesi del lavoro, il loro efficace sviluppo come atleti. / the work explored talent development in sport following a psychosocial approach. It has two main aims: the first was to explore literature on talent development in sport to identify theories that better support psychosocial approach to talent development. the second aim was to study empirically how relationship impact on psychological wellbeing of young talented athletes, hypotesizing that it describes a particularly effective ground breaking condition for the development of potentiality. Research finds support for psychosocial approach to talent development in many theories on talent development, and next to this it also show how having positive relationship impact on psychological wellbeing thanks to the mediation effect of psychological characteristics and consequently of athletes' potential.

The Kansas City School District was unable to attain accreditation from 1955 until 2016, enduring high dropout rates, exceptionally low college entrance rates, and poor performances on standardized tests. At the district’s fine arts school, students also experienced these low educational outcomes. But despite these educational setbacks, the fine arts training they received appears to have contributed to their successful long-term outcomes in adulthood. The purpose of this case study is to explore the factors that contributed to talent development and overall thriving among adult artists who attended the fine arts school in this low performing school district. The research questions include 1) How do the artists describe the experience of developing their talent while attending an unaccredited high school? 2) What factors do the artists identify that aided in the emergence and continual development of their artistic practice? I interviewed 8 adult artists (aged 34-37) who discussed experiences that catalyzed and contributed to the development of their artistic talent. I identify themes and interpret data using grounded theory. Based on existing research about talent development, this study might show that these students thrived because the fine arts school they attended prioritized talent development over core content standards. The focus on talent development appears to have cultivated certain intrapersonal traits—such as awareness, motivation, and perseverance—which may account for their success as adults. Such identifiable traits are relevant to the “21st century skills” that are emerging in the education community. By understanding these artists’ experiences through a case study, educators and policymakers may have a clearer picture of how talent development helps to cultivate 21st century skills in students.

This dissertation is one added piece to the puzzle in how environmental factors can contribute to a positive affect to and development within a sport by looking at how environmental models can be used in an amateur format for the first time. The purpose of this thesis to adapt both the ATDE and ESF working models to an amateur environment in soccer, and if necessary, perform an intervention which might improve the positive effect the environment could have on its athletes.  Results showed many of the features and factors found within elite ATDEs could be replicated at an amateur soccer club. Moreover, an intervention based upon previous ecological studies involved connecting the academy and senior-level players through multiple channels. Results showed positive experiences from both sides of the intervention, as youth players began to understand how they could still play at the adult level - balancing an education or job with their sport. In summary, the results demonstrate three key concepts: 1) both ATDE and ESF models can be adapted an applied by practitioners and researchers to the amateur environment, 2) a successful  ecological interventional can be as simple as providing the room and space for interaction between senior and junior-level athletes, and 3) future research into ATDEs and ESF of amateur environments could help many young female athletes stay active into their adult years.:Statement of Authentication 3 Dissertation-Related Publications and Presentations 4 Table of Contents 5 English summary of the dissertation 7 Deutsche Zusammenfassung der Dissertation 8 Chapter 1: Introduction 10 1.1 The role of amateur sport 10 1.2 Soccer as a world sport 11 Chapter 2: Talent Detection, Identification, and Development 14 2.1 Traditional model of talent development 15 2.2 Talent detection and Identification 17 2.3 Criticisms of talent identification 20 2.4 Talent development models 23 2.5 Summary of talent identification and developmental models 27 Chapter 3: Ecological Approach and Models of Development 28 3.1 Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecologocal Model 29 3.1 A call for the ecological approach 31 3.2 Henriksen’s ecological studies 32 3.3. Ecological intervention and a successful ATDE in soccer 47 3.4. Other ATDE Studies 52 3.5 Summary and future directions 53 Chapter 4: Purpose of Dissertation 55 4.1 Dissertation objectives 55 Chapter 5: Study I - A description of the ATDE and ESF 57 5.1 General methodology 57 5.2 Study I - Selection of the club and participants 59 5.3 Study I - Research methods and instruments 60 5.4 Study I - Procedure 63 5.5 Study I - Results 66 5.6 Study I - Description of the environment 68 5.7 Study I - Factors influencing the success of the environment 76 5.8 Study I - Discussion 82 Chapter 6: Study II - An ecological intervention 102 6.1 Introduction 102 6.2 Study II - Description of the Intervention 102 6.3 Study II - Research methods and instruments 104 6.4 Study II - Analysis and interpretation 105 6.5 Study II - Results 105 6.6 Study II - Discussion 108 Chapter 7: Reflections and applications for practitioners 115 Literature Cited 124 Appendices 137 Appendix 1: Interview guidelines for players, staff, and coaches in study I 137 Appendix 2: Interview guidelines for parents in study I 138 Appendix 3: Interview guidelines for Players and coaches in study II 139 Appendix 4: Node trees developed from analysis of interviews and observations 140

Syftet med studien är att undersöka före detta elitsatsande simmares upplevelse av idrottsgymnasium och förstå avslutsprocessen i att sluta med elitsatsningen. För att besvara detta baseras studien på tolv intervjuer med elitsatsande simmare som ingått i idrottsgymnasium men valt att hoppa av under gymnasietiden eller inom två år efter examen. Vidare analyseras detta med hjälp av två teoretiska ramverk, Ebaughs beslutsprocess och push/pull/anti-push/anti-pull-modellen. Resultatet visar att simmarnas upplevelse av idrottsgymnasiet är unik. Vidare lyfts att avslutsprocessen påbörjas av orsaker som tränarbyte, sociala anledningar utanför idrotten, pandemin covid-19 och minskad entusiasm. Simmarna sökte sig under den tiden till långsiktiga alternativ genom fortsatta studier eller arbete. Beslutet till avhoppet framkommer därefter som mångfasetterad och komplext där en till sju olika faktorer sammantaget utgör beslutet. Bland dessa faktorer återfinns: missnöje med tränare; utebliven utveckling; prestationsångest; tidskrävande; sociala anledningar inom idrotten; ohälsa; ekonomisk brist i idrotten; minskad motivation; sociala anledningar utanför idrotten; andra prioriteringar. Efter avhoppet upplever simmarna en identitetskris varpå det var lättare att hantera den med ett fokus utöver idrotten samt ett planerat avhopp. Genom studien betonas en helhetssyn på den idrottande individen, gemenskapen och tränarens roll som värdefulla i avslutsprocessen. / The aim of this study is to examine former elite swimmers experience of sports high school and understand the process of drop-out from the elite sport. To answer this question the study gathered data from twelve interviews with elite swimmers who were part of a sports high school but chose to drop out during high school or within two years after graduation. Furthermore, this is analyzed using two theoretical frameworks, Ebaugh's decision-making process and the push/pull/anti-push/anti-pull model. The results show that the swimmers experience of the sports high school is unique. Furthermore, it is emphasized that the decision-making process is started for reasons such as a change of coach, social reasons outside of sports, the pandemic covid-19 and reduced enthusiasm. During that time, the swimmers sought long-term alternatives through further studies or work. The decision to drop out then appears to be multifaceted and complex, with one to seven different factors together constituting the decision. These factors include: dissatisfaction with coaches; lack of development; performance anxiety; time consuming; social reasons in sport; illness; economic shortage in sports; decreased motivation; social reasons outside of sports; other priorities. After the dropout, the swimmers experience an identity crisis, whereupon it was easier to handle it with a focus outside of swimming and a planned drop-out. The study emphasizes a holistic view of the individual athlete, the community and the role of the coaches as valuable in the process of the decision.

De flesta elitidrottskarriärer har sin startgrop i föreningsidrotten och närmare 90 procent av alla barn och ungdomar i Sverige har någon gång under sin uppväxt varit medlemmar i en idrottsförening. För de flesta barn innebär föreningsidrotten en positiv miljö där alla barn och ungdomar ska få möjlighet att vara med och delta på lika villkor – tills de plötsligt inte får det längre. Leken förvandlas till allvar och idrotten handlar nu i allt större omfattning om selektion, talangidentifikation och uttagningar. Genom att bli antagen till ett idrottsgymnasium har man goda möjligheter att kombinera sina studier med idrotten, vilket är en viktig grund i den svenska idrottsmodellen. Idrottsutbildningen har aldrig varit så varierad som idag, och det är vanligt att tänka att de idrottare som blivit antagna till idrottsgymnasium automatiskt kommer gå hela vägen. Trots det finns det idrottande ungdomar som väljer att avsluta sina karriärer efter tre år på ett idrottsgymnasium. Syftet med studien var att skapa en större förståelse kring avhopp bland unga talanger inom svensk handboll, som under tre års tid gått på ett handbollsgymnasium. Vidare undersöktes hur spelarna upplevde både tiden på handbollsgymnasiet och den egna avslutsprocessen, och vad handbollsföreningar och handbollsgymnasier kan jobba med för att få fler handbollsspelare att stanna kvar inom idrotten. Kvalitativa intervjuer genomfördes med åtta stycken före detta handbollsspelare i åldrarna 18-23. En semistrukturerad intervjuguide konstruerades och samtliga intervjuer spelades in, transkriberades och analyserades. Huvudresultaten i studien visar att avhopp sällan beror på endast en orsak, och att största delen av avhoppen berodde på avsaknaden av ett socialt stöd, brist på motivation, tränarna, prestationsångest eller en kombination av flera faktorer. Spelarnas avslutsprocesser analyserades med hjälp av Ebaughs teori om avslut. Vidare diskuterades idrottsmiljöns betydelse för unga handbollsspelare och att ett socialt stöd bör finnas till hands för spelarna på handbollsgymnasierna i en större omfattning. Även en god kommunikation mellan handbollsgymnasiet och klubblaget ansågs vara av stor betydelse för spelarna. / Most elite sports careers have their start in sport clubs, and approximately 90 percent of all kids and adolescences in Sweden have, during their childhood, been members in a sport club. For most kids, the sport clubs imply a positive environment where all children should have an opportunity to participate on equal terms – until they suddenly don’t anymore. The play turns to seriousness and is now more and more becoming a matter of selection and talent identification. By being selected to a sport school the athletes have a good chance of combining the studies with their sports, which is an important motive in the Swedish sports model. The sports education has never been as varied as it is today, and it’s common to think that the athletes who have been selected to a sport school automatically will reach the top. Despite this, there are athletic adolescences who choose to quit their career after three years in a sport school. The purpose of this study was to investigate why young, talented handball players quit their career after three years in a sport school. Furthermore, it is investigated how the players experienced both their time at the sport school and their own disengagement process, and what handball associations should work with in order to get more young, talented handball players to stay in the sports. Qualitative interviews were conducted with eight former talented handball players in the ages 18-22, all of whom went to a sport school for three years. A semi-structured interview guide was constructed and all of the interviews were recorded, transcribed and analyzed. The main findings of the study show that drop-outs rarely depends on one single factor, and that most of the drop-outs for the adolescences’ in this study happened due to lack of social support, amotivation, the coaches, performance anxiety or a mix of multiple factors. The players drop-out process was analyzed with Ebaughs’ disengagement process. Furthermore, the impact of the sports environment for young, talented handball players and the importance of a social support for them is discussed and shows that these factors should be available for the players in sport schools to a greater extent. A good communication between the sport school and the players clubs was also considered important according to the former players.

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Bakgrund. Talangutveckling är en central punkt i idrottens utveckling. Ordet är dock ettbegrepp som oftast används felaktigt i vissa situationer. Detta ger utrymme för mångafallgropar kring begreppet och främst i utvecklandet av talanger. Vad är då rätttalangutveckling samt hur ser resan ut till att bli en så kallad talang? Syftet. Undersökningen syftar till att undersöka vilka faktorer som har varit bidragande påvägen till att bli talang för hockeyspelare i åldrarna 16-20. Även för att se hur resultatetställer sig mot ATDE (Athletic talent development environment) teorin och mot tidigareforskning och studier. Metod. Undersökningen använder en kvantitativ metod där 77 stycken ishockeyspelaredeltagit genom att besvara en online-enkät. Urvalet är mellan 16-20 år och deltar ihockeygymnasium. Resultat. Från undersökningen kunde det tydas att talangerna började idrotta runt 5-6,deltagit i minst en idrott, specialisering vid 13-14 och elitsatsning vid 14-15. Föräldrarsstöttande, emotionellt och ekonomiskt samt lärande av ansvarstagande. Ledarens lyhördhetoch förmåga att vilja utveckla enskilda individer anses vara viktigt. Även resurser i miljönför utveckling är bidragande till utvecklingen till talang. Diskussion. Datan från resultatet visar på vikten av ATDE teorin, vilket visas genom deoptimala förutsättningarna runt om en individ i form av omgivningen, ledare och de socialafaktorerna, om det skall finnas en optimal chans för utveckling till talang. Nyckelord: talang, talangutveckling, förutsättningar, ATDE / Background. Talent development is a central point in the development of sports, however,it's a concept that often gets misinterpreted in some situations. This leads tomisunderstandings and many pitfalls around the concept and in the development process oftalents. What is the right talent development process and how does the journey to talentunfold? The purpose. The survey's purpose aims to investigate which factors have beencontributing on the way to becoming a talent for hockeyplayers aged 16-20. How it standsagainst the ATDE (Athletic talent development environment) theory and previous studiesand research. Method. The survey uses a quantitative method where 77 ice hockey players participatedby answering an online survey. The selection is between 16-20 years old and participates inhockey gymnasium. Results. From the survey you could read that the talents started sports around 5-6,participated in at least one sport, specialization at 13-14 and elite effort at 14-15. Parentssupport, emotionally and financially, and learning to take responsibility. The leader'ssensitivity and ability to want to develop individuals is considered important. Resources inthe environment for development also contribute to the development of talent. Discussion. The data from the result show the importance of the ATDE theory, which isshown through the optimal conditions around an individual in the form of the environment,leaders and the social factors, if there is to be an optimal chance for development intotalent. Keywords: talent, talent development, conditions, ATDE

Female mentoring success was investigated as an undergraduate intervention utilizing career development practices to reduce dysfunctional career thinking and STEM major retention in first year freshmen females within a living-learning community. Repeated measures MANOVAs and canonical correlations in the causal comparative research design evaluated mentoring’s influence on first year females. Male voluntary participants (n = 126) formulated the comparison group, and female voluntary participants (n = 75) filled the treatment group. Repeated measure multivariate analyses of variances compared differences between the interaction of mentoring and gender over time on dysfunctional career thinking using two assessments: Career Thoughts Inventory (CTI) and Career Decision Scale (CDS) and their five subscales (decision-making confusion, commitment anxiety, external conflict, certainty and indecision). Canonical correlations analyzed the effect participation rates had on student change scores on the CTI and CDS, indicating mentoring intervention effects on reducing dysfunctional career thinking and decidedness. Conclusions included: (a) females had higher levels of dysfunctional career thinking than males; (b) overtime both groups decreased dysfunctional thoughts, and solidifying their STEM career choices; (c) females had reduced levels of career decidedness compared to males; (d) both groups increased certainty overtime, solidifying their STEM career choice, and (e) when the STEM career choice was made, female certainty was more solidified than males. The study adds to the career development research within STEM at the undergraduate level providing colleges and universities with a structured first year female mentoring program in STEM. The iv GEMS model may be ideal for colleges and universities utilizing living-learning communities to increase underrepresented female retention and those without STEM career planning courses.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-04T18:28:17Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Janete Tonete Suarez.pdf: 3648120 bytes, checksum: 70000b5a6a9c28d53162eb70b92c10b2 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-02-26 / The process of identifying talent/giftedness with a view to educational services requires knowledge and appropriate resources. In order to reduce barriers to talent identificationhas been increasing a growing demand for trained teachers and valid measurement instruments. Given this context, this study aimed to identify creative and intellectual talent in the classroom from three instruments: Evaluation Battery Intelligence and Creativity - Children's version (BAICI), in validation process; Non Verbal Child Reasoning Test (TNVRI) already validated in Brazil, and their perception of teachers obtained from the scale entitled Talent Identification by Professor (ITP). Four studies were proposed: 1. The development of the Talent Identification scale by the teacher; 2. Identification of intellectual and creative talents by the Professor; 3. Identification of creative and intellectual talents by psychological tests, and finally, 4. Evidence of validity by way of external criterion between the Battery (BAICI) and the Teste (TNVRI), and between Battery (BAICI) and the scale (ITP). The study sample was composed of four judges, 10 professors and 120 students from the 4th and 5th year of elementary school, two private schools in the metropolitan region of Campinas, SP. The age of participants ranged from 9 to 10 years of which 62 were females and 58 males. The results for each study were as follows: 1. The coefficient of Content Validity (CVC) of ITP instrument was 0.82, considered positive. 2. The teacher seems to notice more female talent for the highest averages in all areas. However, the hypothesis of gender equality should be rejected only for the Memory subscale in ITP. 3. Gender was not significant in any subtest of BAICI including verbal and figural creative skills. The same was found with TNVRI reinforcing the hypothesis of absence of significant cognitive gender differences. 4. There was correlation between the various subtests of BAICI. The highest of these was between the visual memory subtest and overall cognitive index. As to the evidence of validity by way of external criterion between BAICI and TNVRI, it was noticed a significant correlation between subtest only for the fast thinking. The values of Cronbach's alpha were 0.83 and 0.75 for the ITP and BAICI, demonstrating the accuracy of results. Students who scored above average in psychological instruments were identified through a qualitative - comparative analysis of students, but these same students were not identified by their teachers. We conclude that education should pay attention to the training of teachers so that they understand the different abilities present in the classroom and promote actions aimed at its development from varied and combined procedures. / O processo deidentificacao do talento/superdotacao com vistas ao atendimento educacional exigeconhecimento e recursos apropriados. Tem sido cada vez maior a demanda por professores capacitados e instrumentos validos de medida a fim de diminuir os obstaculos que impedem a identificacao do talento. Diante deste contexto, este estudo objetivou identificar talentos criativos e intelectuais na sala de aula a partir de tres instrumentos: Bateria de Avaliacao da Inteligencia e Criatividade forma Infantil (BAICI), em processo de validacao; Teste Nao Verbal de Raciocinio Infantil (TNVRI), ja validado no Brasil; e a percepcao dos professores obtida a partir da escala intitulada Identificacao de Talentos pelo Professor (ITP). Quatro Estudos foram propostos: 1. Elaboracao da escala Identificacao de Talentos pelo professor; 2. Identificacao de talentos intelectuais e criativos pelo professor; 3. Identificacao de talentos criativos e intelectuais por testes psicologicos; e finalmente,4. Evidencias de validade por forma de criterio externo entre BAICI e TNVRI, e entre BAICI e ITP. A amostra do estudo foi composta por quatro juizes avaliadores, 10 professorese 120 estudantes do 4.o e 5.o anos do Ensino Fundamentalde duas escolas particulares da regiao metropolitana de Campinas SP. A idade dos participantes variou dos 9 aos 10 anos dos quais 62 eram do genero feminino e 58masculino. Os resultados referentes a cada estudo foram os seguintes: 1. O Coeficiente de Validade do Conteudo (CVC) do instrumento ITP foi de 0,82, considerado positivo. 2. Oprofessor parece perceber mais o talento feminino pelas medias mais altasem todas as areas. No entanto, a hipotese de igualdade de genero deve ser rejeitada apenas para a subescala Memoria no ITP. 3. O genero nao se mostrou significativo em nenhum subteste da BAICI, incluindo as habilidades criativas verbais e figurais. O mesmo foi verificado com o TNVRI reforcando a hipotese de nao existencia de diferenca cognitiva significativa entre os generos. 4. Houve diversas correlacao entre os subtestes da BAICI. A mais alta delas foi entre o subteste memoria visual e indice cognitivo total. Quanto as evidencias de validade por forma de criterio externo entre BAICI e TNVRI, percebeu-se haver correlacao significativa somente entre o subteste rapidez de raciocinio. Os valores de alfa de Cronbach foram 0,83 e 0,75 para o ITP e BAICI, demonstrando a precisao dos resultados encontrados. Atraves de uma analise qualitativa/comparativa foram identificados estudantes que pontuaram acima da media nos instrumentos psicologicos, porem nao identificados por seus professores. Conclui-se que a educacao deve atentar para a capacitacao de professores a fim de que estes conhecam as diferentes habilidades presentes na sala de aulas e promovam acoes dirigidas para seu desenvolvimento a partir de procedimentos variados e combinados.