Conceptual models of giftedness that cannot explain the full spectrum of depicted behaviors are incomplete. The same is true for frameworks that purport to analyze those behaviors. Within giftedness, extraordinary and rare talents afford us the opportunity to extend and modify models and frameworks. This article presents an analysis of the first 2…

To help teachers develop a repertoire of instructional strategies that will effect positive changes on students' learning outcomes is essential for both general education and the field of gifted education. This article introduces readers to a classroom observation tool that is designed to help assess professional development needs of teachers of…

Early life experiences can powerfully impact attitudes toward learning and later achievements in education. The chances for optimal development of children with special needs, including the gifted and talented, can be enhanced with identification and intervention at an early age. This paper reports on investigations into the lives of five gifted…

Dropping out of school has been presented as a serious problem affecting gifted students, with some authors suggesting that 20% or more of dropouts could be gifted (e.g., Rimm, 1995; Robertson, 1991). Longitudinal data from North Carolina were used to investigate high-school dropout rates among gifted students (N = 7916) who had participated in a…

The study aims to elucidate the characteristics of gifted underachievers at the university level and the reasons for their underachievement. The sample consisted of students from Bogazici University in Istanbul. The "School Attitude Assessment Survey-Revised" ("SAAS-R") instrument was administered to 91 underachievers and a…

The relationships among adjustment problems, self-efficacy, and psychological distress were investigated in a sample of 207 Chinese gifted students in Hong Kong. A mediation-effect model specifying that adjustment problems had an effect on psychological distress mediated by self-efficacy was hypothesized and tested using structural equation…

This descriptive study investigated two areas: (a) perceived changes in gifted and talented (G/T) programming in Iowa from the time a state mandate was implemented to the time of the study, and (b) perceived effects of the mandate on G/T programming in Iowa. Perceptions of middle-level teachers of gifted and talented students (n = 111) were…

Elementary students in programs for gifted and highly gifted students were tested using the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales, Fifth Edition (SB5). Students' scores on the SB5 were significantly lower than their scores on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition (WISC-III). In addition, rank order was not well preserved between…

A paucity of research exists regarding the relative strengths and limitations and effects on practice in gifted education state policies. The purpose of this five-state study is to shed light on selected states' gifted education policies. Four data sources were probed and comparisons were made within each state and across the five states.…

National leaders in the field of gifted education have voiced serious concerns regarding the effect of No Child Left Behind on gifted children. This article looks inside classrooms to determine if and how such concerns materialize in the "real world." A survey of selected teachers in various elementary- and middle-school settings in four…

This study investigated the extent of knowledge professors reported in regards to gifted and talented education. Participants were college professors and instructors (N = 62) from 4-year teacher preparation institutions who taught elementary-education methods classes. All participants were employed in Mid-Continent Research for Education and…

This study investigated the reliability and structural validity of Elementary Reading Attitude Survey ([ERAS]; McKenna and Kear, 1990) scores in 575 academically talented students attending an academic summer program. Results indicated that ERAS Academic and Recreational scores had satisfactory internal consistency coefficients, and that…

This study was designed to examine the effects of math anxiety and perfectionism on math performance, under timed testing conditions, among mathematically gifted sixth graders. We found that participants had worse math performance during timed versus untimed testing, but this difference was statistically significant only when the timed condition…

This article presents an interview with Dr. Miraca Gross, Professor of Gifted Education, and Director of the Gifted Education Research, Resource, and Information Centre (GERRIC), at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. Dr. Gross is a leading international authority on the education of gifted and talented children, particularly…

One of the most pressing needs in gifted education, and in education in general, is how to conduct a responsible evaluation. In this article, the author discusses one of the most important procedures in program evaluation, which is to distinguish between summative evaluation and formative evaluation. In summative evaluation, the data is being…