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.     

Multicutural literature and gifted black students: Promoting self‐understanding,awareness, and pride

Social dominance orientation (SDO), right-wing authoritarianism (RWA), and socially desirable responding were examined among a sample of self-identified supporters of gifted education (N = 341), 70% of whom had an official role in gifted education as researchers, teachers, or gifted-talented (G/T) trainers. The sample was primarily female, White, well-educated, and upper middle class. The relationship of SDO, RWA, socially desirable responding, and support for various gifted education practices such as testing for identification, curricular differentiation in a heterogeneous classroom, and cooperative learning was explored through latent class analysis and logistic regression. Two distinct groups, communitarians and individualists, were found on the basis of their support for different gifted programming. Higher deference to authority among communitarians predicted support for an inclusive social norm, compared to a preference for maximizing potential without regard for inclusion among the individualists, who were less likely to defer to authority.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

Effects of institutionalization on the self‐concept and outerdirectedness of adolescents with mental retardation

Abstract

Some professionals have used empirical work indicating that institutions have deleterious effects on their mentally retarded residents to support deinstitutionalization. In the present study, we compared 17 institutionalized mentally retarded adolescents with 29 noninstitutionalized mentally retarded adolescents on measures of self‐image and outerdirectedness. We found no deleterious effects of institutionalization on the global self‐image or on self‐image scores in the cognitive, social, or physical abilities content areas. For both groups, however, global scores were higher than scores in the social and physical abilities domains. Overall, institutionalized adolescents were no more dependent on external cues in solving problems (i.e., outerdirected) than were noninstitutionalized adolescents. We found, however, an interaction effect indicating that at higher mental ages, institutionalized, relative to noninstitutionalized, adolescents relied more on external cues. The results suggest that the effects of institutionalization may be dependent on numerous factors including the specific area of adjustment assessed, the developmental level of the individual, and the quality of the institution.     

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.     

Academic self‐concept among business students in a recruiting university: definition,measurement and potential effects

This study sought to devise a parsimonious instrument for evaluating academic self‐concept (ASC) among British‐born students entering ‘mass‐market’ (post‐1992) universities that cater for diverse and ‘non‐traditional’ intakes. Three major facets of ASC were found to be particularly relevant to these students: self‐belief in one’s academic competence; self‐appreciation of one’s personal worth as a student (independent of ability‐related considerations); and self‐connection with being an undergraduate.     

Toward an understanding of academic self‐concept in distance education

Abstract

Academic self‐concept has been demonstrated to influence student success in distance education. The purpose of this study was to examine the nature of academic self‐concept in distance education and to determine its enhancers and detractors. It was determined that this construct is dynamic and multi‐faceted: the process of both learning as an adult and learning at a distance, as well as the content studied, influences academic self‐concept. Implications for both practice and further research are discussed.     

The self‐regulated learning aspect of metacognition: A component of gifted education

As interest increases in the connection between metacognition and gifted, a shift in the definition of giftedness from person to performance variables allows an even closer link to skills of self‐regulatory metacognition such as defining, focusing, persisting, guiding, coping, correcting, reinforcing, and solving. Researchers recommend explicit instructional models that teach specific strategies for disciplined, reflective problem solving while stressing accuracy and persistent concentration. This article provides such a detailed account of a classroom‐tested early childhood pedagogy for gifted learners, especially the underachieving gifted. Teacher and peer modeling of think‐aloud, behavioral demonstration, and cueing of five steps to efficient task accomplishment are outlined with examples. Benefits of productive self‐regulated learning strategies during task periormances are reported from teachers, parents, and students.     

Computer self‐efficacy,academic self‐concept,and other predictors of satisfaction and future participation of adult distance learners

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to develop a predictive model of satisfaction of adult learners in a Web‐based distance education course and their intent to participate in future Web‐based distance education courses. The factors examined were computer self‐efficacy, academic self‐concept, age, gender, academic status, years of computer use, frequency of computer use, computer training, Internet experience in a class, and participation in a workshop for a Web‐based course. Computer self‐efficacy was the only predictor variable that was statistically significant. There was a positive relationship between learners' satisfaction with their Web‐based distance education courses and their intent to participate in future Web‐based courses.