Adjustment problems,self‐efficacy,and psychological distress among Chinese gifted students in Hong Kong

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 modeling procedures. For comparison, a direct‐effect model and a direct‐and‐mediation‐effect model were also fitted to the data. The results indicated that the direct‐and‐mediation‐effect model provided the best and a reasonably adequate fit, suggesting that the effects of adjustment problems on psychological distress could be direct, but more importantly the effects could also be mediated by self‐efficacy. Implications of the findings for enhancing the self‐efficacy of students to promote their psychological well‐being are discussed.     

Determinants of underachievement as perceived by gifted,above‐average,and average black students 1

This study examined determinants of underachievement as perceived by 148 Black fifth‐and sixth‐grade students in an urban school district. Explored were the respective influences of social, psychological, and cultural determinants of underachievement as perceived by Black students in three different academic programs (gifted, above‐average, and average). Students were placed into groups based on profiles of achievement behavior (Types I through V) and compared relative to their perceptions and attitudes. Findings from the statistical analyses (frequency analyses, t‐tests, analyses of variance, and multiple regression) suggest that psychological factors played the greatest role in underachievement or poor achievement motivation, and that underachievement behaviors were noted among all students, irrespective of their academic program. Implications and recommendations are suggested for educators working with gifted, above‐average, and average Black students in urban areas.     

The structure and function of academic self‐concept in gifted and general education students

Using structural equation modeling techniques, this exploratory study investigated the differences in the factor structure of academic self‐perceptions in a sample of gifted students and within a general population of students. The factor structure exhibited partial measurement invariance, suggesting that two of the items on the factor work differently in the gifted sample than in the sample from the general population. The gifted sample demonstrated higher academic self‐perceptions than the general school sample and higher self‐reported GPAs than the general school sample. However, the relationship between academic self‐perceptions and self‐reported GPA was invariant across groups. For both gifted students and the general population of high school students, GPA and academic self‐perceptions were moderately and positively related. Therefore, although there are large mean differences between gifted students and the general population of students on the academic self‐perceptions scale, the structure of the relationship between academic self‐perceptions and GPA was similar.     

Promoting cross‐cultural awareness and understanding: incorporating ethnographic interviews in college EFL classes in Taiwan

The emergence of the incorporation of culture into EFL education is a growing trend in Taiwan. The purpose of the study was to examine: (1) the effects of the ethnographic interview project on Taiwanese students' cognitive development in understanding native English speakers and their cultures; (2) changes in students' self‐awareness and understanding of both the target culture and their own; and (3) students' perceptions of the ethnographic interview project employed in EFL college classes. Data were collected through pre–post questionnaires, oral and written reports, classroom observation and interviews. Results indicated that participation in the ethnographic interview project helped facilitate the development of cross‐cultural awareness and communication skills by providing opportunities for students to gain insight into the values of target language countries, learn to view their own culture in new ways, increase their confidence in using English to communicate and view authentic communication as the goal of EFL learning. The majority of the participants saw the ethnographic interview project as an effective means of facilitating intercultural/interpersonal communication and understanding.     

Effect of social setting,self‐concept,and relative age on the social status of moderately and highly gifted students

This study compares the social status of highly gifted (N=42) and moderately gifted (N=86) students across academic (classroom) and social (dormitory) settings. Giftedness was not significantly related to social status in either setting. Two social statuses, popular and rejected, were significantly stable across settings. Furthermore these statuses were related to peer nominations for getting along, fighting, and being shy, to social and academic measures of self‐concept, and to age relative to the peer group. These findings are examined in light of other research on gifted‐ness and social status.     

A study of self‐concept and social support in advantaged and disadvantaged seventh and eighth grade gifted students

Understanding differences in perceptions of self‐concept and social support among special populations of gifted learners is critical to planning appropriate services for them. The present study investigated these differences among intellectually gifted students of junior high age who were participating in full time intensive programs for the gifted. Specifically, differences as a function of gender, ethnicity, and socio‐economic class were examined. Findings indicated some differences based on ethnicity and gender, but most differences were observed between lower and higher socio‐economic groups, particularly in the areas of social support and social and behavioral self‐concept. Implications from the study would suggest attention to these dimensions in program planning.     

Comparing overexcitabilities of gifted and non‐gifted 10th grade students in Turkey

The study compares overexcitability scores of Turkish 10th graders who are grouped in terms of their intellectual abilities, motivation, creativity and leadership as well as gender. 711 students who were administered Raven Advanced Progressive Matrices Test (APM) were divided into three intellectual ability categories. From this pool, 105 subjects were selected as the sample of the study. Teacher Observation and Evaluation Form (TOEF) was used for categorizing students in terms of motivation, creativity and leadership. On the other hand, Overexcitability Questionnaire (OEQ) was administered to the sample for assessing their overexcitabilities. According to the findings of the study, overexcitability scores of highly intelligent, motivated, creative and leader students in some overexcitability areas are significantly greater than those of their lower counterparts. No gender differences are found in regard to overexcitabilities.     

‘I've had to swallow my pride’: help seeking and self‐esteem

One of the paradoxes confronting higher education teachers and other staff supporting students is that despite their perception that they offer students opportunities for support, students do not take advantage of them. Our research was based on the desire to understand the ways students cope and what resources they draw on. To this end, we interviewed students from a range of backgrounds and courses. We famed our analysis in terms of situated self‐esteem because the data revealed the strength of students' personal projects, together with clear evidence of the complexities of help seeking. Situated self‐esteem concerns proper and measured judgements about the self and the ability to cope rather than conceptualizing esteem in a therapeutic framework. We conclude by considering the ways in which institutional support for learning and teaching might strengthen students' resources, not undermine them.     

Motivational Characteristics in Mathematical Achievement: a study of gifted high‐achieving,gifted underachieving and non‐gifted pupils

The aim of this study was to examine whether motivational‐emotional variables such as intrinsic orientation toward schoolwork, Mathematics anxiety, academic self‐esteem, attribution of success and failure in Mathematics and situational interest in Mathematics could differentiate different groups of mathematically gifted pupils. The research was based, theoretically, on an interactional model of giftedness. The sample consisted of 147 selected primary school pupils (9‐10 years of age) who were assigned to the following groups for comparison: mathematically gifted achievers (n = 31), mathematically gifted under‐achievers (n = 31) and mathematically non‐gifted pupils (n = 85). The results of a discriminant analysis show that the gifted pupils differ from the non‐gifted ones in attaining higher levels of intrinsic orientation toward Mathematics, lower Mathematics anxiety, lower attribution of success to external factors and effort, as well as in lower attribution of failure to external factors and abilities. Also, gifted achievers have lower attribution of success to effort than gifted under‐achievers and non‐gifted pupils.     

Language,discourse and teaching the language arts: The development of imaginative self‐understanding

Paul Ricoeur asks that we conceive of the imagination less in terms of visual images than in terms of language. He develops this idea as part of the hermeneutic work of interpreting literary texts and posits that the world disclosed by the literary work provides a space for the imaginative consideration of new possibilities for the self. I describe some principles for educating children in a literary tradition that may assist in the development of linguistic expression and self‐understanding. Furthermore, some suggestions are made concerning the education of language arts teachers in this regard.     

Motivation and self‐regulated science learning in high‐achieving students: differences related to nation,gender, and grade‐level

A total of three hundred and fifteen (n = 315) gifted students from the 10th and 12th grade from the United States (n = 102), China (n = 125) and Germany (n = 88) were surveyed regarding their motivation and self‐regulation in chemistry learning. A 3×2×2 MANOVA revealed “nation” as having the largest major effect on these variables. The American group scored higher in most of the motivational and self‐regulatory characteristics than their Chinese and German counterparts. Although in all samples gifted girls reported a higher effort goal orientation, they used superficial cognitive strategies in learning science more frequently than boys. In addition, students' effort goal orientation was less pronounced in higher grades in all samples.     

The problem‐solving methods of mathematically gifted and older average‐attaining students

This paper examines some of the ways gifted students are said to be different from non‐gifted students by comparing the responses of 475, 9‐year‐old “gifted” students with those of 230 average‐attaining 13‐year‐old students on the same mathematical problem‐solving questions. The questions were specifically written for mathematically gifted 9 year olds as part of the World Class Tests project. The performance and approaches used by students in the two samples were found to be very similar, as was the frequency of different responses to the questions, suggesting that many of the mathematically “gifted” are not qualitatively different in their problem‐solving approaches from students of average ability, but are merely precocious.     

Rubric‐referenced self‐assessment and middle school students’ writing

This study investigated the relationship between middle school students’ scores for a written assignment (N = 162) and a process that involved students in generating criteria and self‐assessing with a rubric. Gender, time spent writing, grade level, prior rubric use, and previous achievement in English were also examined. The treatment involved using a model essay to scaffold the process of generating a list of criteria for an effective essay, reviewing a written rubric, and using the rubric to self‐assess first drafts. The comparison condition involved generating a list of criteria and reviewing first drafts. Findings include a main effect of treatment, gender, grade level, writing time, and previous achievement on total essay scores, as well as main effects on scores for every criterion on the scoring rubric. The results suggested that reading a model, generating criteria, and using a rubric to self‐assess can help middle school students produce more effective writing.     

Task Involvement and Ego Involvement: relations with academic achievement,academic self‐concept and self‐esteem

Relations between academic achievement, self‐perceptions, task involvement and defensive ego involvement (self‐presentation concerns) were explored among 349 sixth grade and 350 ninth grade Norwegian students. Task involvement was defined as general interest in working with school subjects, whereas defensive ego involvement was defined as students’ preoccupation with the impression they make on their classmates emphasizing the concern of not looking stupid. The results showed that task involvement and defensive ego involvement are independent but correlated motivational states. The concepts are negatively, but weakly correlated and are affected by different processes. Task involvement was affected directly by academic self‐concept, whereas defensive ego involvement was strongly associated with self‐esteem and was affected indirectly by academic self‐concept through self‐esteem.     

Using teacher ratings of social behavior to differentiate gifted from non‐gifted students

This study investigated the effectiveness of teacher ratings of student social behavior in differentiating a group of 81 elementary‐age gifted students from a control group of 81 age and gender matched non‐gifted students. The School Social Behavior Scales, a recently developed set of rating scales that assesses both social competence and antisocial behavior, was used for the ratings. Gifted students were rated as having significantly higher levels of social competence and lower levels of antisocial behavior than the comparison group, and the individual scores of the gifted students were significantly skewed in the direction of better social‐behavioral adjustment. The findings also indicated the presence of a small subset of gifted students who appeared to have extremely poor social competence and high levels of problem behaviors. The results are compared to previous research on the psychosocial development of gifted children, and important areas for future research on this topic are recommended.