Psychologists show great curiosity about the world and human behavior. They are forever asking Why? Or What? Or How? about various aspects of human behavior. It is no surprise, therefore, that they respond enthusiastically to some of the questions surrounding the behavior of those labeled as gifted and talented in our society. As will be seen in…

The classroom, with its complex social structure and kaleidoscope of cognitive and phycho-sociological variables, has not often been the object of serious research. Content area specialists have concentrated on the sequential organization of materials and have left the direct applications of these materials, either to the intuitive strategies of…

In this article, James J. Gallagher proposes that understanding the political issues and the debate surrounding the education of gifted students is based on the recognition that education policy (including rules, regulations, financial allocations, etc.) reflects social policy. Hence, society prioritizes needs so that the most important of these…

The variables associated with peer acceptance and rejection have been the subject of considerable investigation over the past few years, therefore, the present study was designed to answer three questions: (1) How socially accepted are highly gifted children in the elementary-school classroom? (2) What is the intellectual level of the children…

In this article, James J. Gallagher explains, in the context of education, that "civil rights" means the guarantee of equal opportunity and justice for all and the actions taken against those barriers that stand in the way of such equality. How does the issue of civil rights bear on an area of special education such as the education of…

In a previous issue of this journal, four present and former editors of the most prestigious journals provide their judgment on the current field of gifted education (Ambrose, VanTassel-Baska, Coleman, & Cross, 2010). They believe that the field is insular, fractured, porous, and contested, and they provide many examples to illustrate their…

In the study, 110 fifth and sixth grade children of both gifted and average ability levels confirmed that they are capable of reflecting on future occurrences, of assessing the probability of positive or negative outcomes, and of identifying implications of those future occurrences. (Author/SBH)

This editorial reviews the literature on the emotional states of gifted children, pointing out design flaws and the problem of using averages in such studies. Specific topics discussed include supersensitivity, guilt feelings in those who are gifted, the gifted underachiever, stress and coping, and fields for future research. (PB)

Features of programs that successfully blended the middle school (MS) model or cooperative learning (CL) model with gifted education were assessed. Site visits were made to five MS sites and five CL sites at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. Studies showed that gifted students' needs can be met within these programs, with appropriate…

Implications of the term "gifted," including that of unjustified and unearned privilege, are considered in the context of findings on intelligence development, self-efficacy, education, prevalence, and the importance of labels. Five policy options are considered including abandoning the term and using performance rather than aptitude to organize…

This paper on underachievement in gifted students distinguishes between environmental, personal-neurological, and personal-psychological causes of underachievement. Characteristics of gifted underachievers are described, and strategies to change the pattern of the "personal-psychological" underachiever are discussed, with emphasis on coping…

Analysis of current critiques of gifted education considers four common concerns: (1) whether giftedness exists; (2) whether students who possess giftedness can be identified; (3) whether such students can be provided with quality differentiated programs and services; and (4) whether it is morally correct to provide such programs or services. (DB)