Discrepancies between perceptions of first-grade students at risk for learning disabilities,their parents and teachers

ABSTRACT

This study compared discrepancies between children’s academic and social self-perceptions and parents’ and teachers’ perceptions of children’s academic and social competence among 89 first-grade children: 45 children at risk for learning disabilities (RLD) and 44 of typically developing peers (TD). The relationship between self-perceptions among the two groups of children and their significant adults‘ perceptions were compared. The children with RLD reported lower academic self-perception, but did not report lower social self-concept. The discrepancies between students’, parents’ and teachers’ perceptions of students’ academic and social competence were found only for the RLD group. Parents and teachers rated children with RLD as demonstrating lower levels of academic competence. Only teachers rated children with RLD as demonstrating lower levels of social competence. No significant differences were found among children and their significant adults for the comparison group. A serial-multiple mediation analysis presented the relationship model and emphasized the critical mediating role of teachers and parents in predicting children’s academic self-concept. The educational implications of the results call for sensitizing teachers and parents to their perceptions, and to develop empowering intervention with a focused awareness to the impact of their perceptions.     

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.     

Social Competencies and Difficulties of Gifted Children Compared to Nongifted Peers

This study, conducted in Israel, examined the social and emotional difficulties of gifted children, in comparison with nongifted children. The gifted children were further compared in two educational settings: segregated classes and pull-out programs. The 974 participants were from the fifth to twelfth grades. The dependent variables included loneliness, social competence, empathy, and self-concept. The results indicated that gifted children score higher on need fulfillment, empathy, academic self-concept, and lack of emotional anxiety and lower on self-disclosure and physical self-concept. Few differences were found between the two settings for gifted children. The conclusion is that gifted children differ from nongifted children only on some of the social–emotional variables examined, mainly for the better.     

The role of social competence in predicting gifted enrollment

The purpose of this study is to examine how children's starting level and development of social competence (i.e., task orientation and peer sociability) during kindergarten and first grade predict gifted program enrollment by third grade, even after considering children's cognitive ability. A second purpose is to examine the extent to which the relationship between children's social competence and gifted program enrollment differs depending on children's socioeconomic status (SES), ethnicity, and gender. Latent growth curve analyses conducted on 347 children revealed that students enrolled in gifted programming were not only those high in cognitive ability, but also those showing early task orientation. Neither peer sociability's initial status nor growth was a significant predictor of gifted enrollment. Multigroup comparisons demonstrated different predictive paths for higher versus lower SES groups. Implications are discussed including important questions raised by this study and the need for teacher training in the identification of giftedness. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Self-system concomitants of discrepancies between children's and teacher's evaluations of academic competence

The purpose of this study was to elucidate the psychological concomitants of discrepancies between fourth- to sixth-grade children's perceptions of academic competence and 2 measures of their "actual" competence in this domain: teacher ratings and achievement test scores. Over-, under-, and congruent child raters were identified on the basis of the 2 external standards and then compared on child and teacher ratings of self-esteem, self-regulatory style, and coping with perceived failure. 6 teachers and 121 lower- to upper-middle-class suburban students participated. As predicted, no differences were obtained between congruent and distorted (combined over- and under-) raters on these self-system variables. Consistent with previous research, overrating children showed higher self-esteem on self- and teacher ratings than underraters. After controlling for level of perceived competence, overraters scored higher on anxiety, and, when overrating occurred against the teacher standard, these children were rated by teachers as having lower self-esteem, poorer coping strategies, and less internalized self-regulatory styles. Comparing the 2 standards, self-reported difficulties were associated with underrating against the teacher's standard but not the achievement standard. Teacher reported difficulties were associated with the opposite pattern of underrating against the 2 standards. Motivational factors contributing to patterns of discrepancies are discussed, as are the educational implications of mismatches between teacher and student perceptions of objective and intrapsychic aspects of school experience.     

Children with Learning Disabilities Within the Family Context: A Comparison with Siblings in Global Self–Concept,Academic Self–Perception,and Social Competence

This study examined the global self–concept, academic self–perception, social competence, and behavioral problems of 19 children with learning disabilities within the family context. Comparisons were made between the target children and their close–age siblings and family psychological correlates were identified. The participants were administered child assessment scales and rated by their parents, who also completed family psychosocial measures. The results show that although children with learning disabilities do not differ from their siblings in global self–concept and academic self–perception, their parents rated them to have less social competence and more behavior problems than their siblings. Moreover, the social competence and behavioral problems of children with learning disabilities are related to their parents’ stress. Educational and research implications are drawn.     

An Exploratory Study of Chinese University Undergraduates’ Global Competence: Effects of Internationalisation at Home and Motivation

Global competence is categorised into three dimensions: knowledge, skills/experience and attitudes. This study aims to investigate the global competence discrepancies of Chinese undergraduates in universities and regions of different development levels, as well as the effects of internationalisation efforts at home and students’ motivation on global competence. To this end, 2,695 students within nine universities (three 985 project universities, three 211 project universities and three provincial universities) in three Chinese cities (Beijing, Nanjing and Changchun) participated in this survey. The findings revealed that Chinese undergraduates have positive global attitudes, but they seem to lack sufficient global knowledge. Students from 985 project universities reported gaining higher global competence than students from 211 project and provincial universities, and students from Beijing reported higher global competence than students from Nanjing and Changchun. Competence discrepancies concerning fields of study were also found. The results of hierarchical regression analysis suggest that gender, 985 and 211 project universities, Beijing city, social sciences and humanities, experience of contact with foreigners on campus activities, enrolment in courses related to internationalisation and students’ motivation were predictive of Chinese students’ global competence.     

Teaching gifted children with learning difficulties in writing

Abstract

This study investigated the teaching of gifted children in a Montessori school, with particular reference to gifted students with learning difficulties in writing. Within an action research context, the teachers participated in professional development in the education of gifted children and were provided with ongoing curriculum and resources support. The teachers made modifications to their gifted students’ programs after this professional development. Positive outcomes in aspects of writing, such as punctuation, spelling, sentence control and text organisation, as well as improved social outcomes, were achieved by the gifted students with writing difficulties.     

Taking a different path: A mother's reflections on homeschooling

Research conducted on academically gifted children's problem‐solving abilities suggests that heightened cognitive flexibility is an important component of academic intelligence. For example, academically gifted children are better able to adapt prior knowledge to formulate solutions to novel problems than other people. To date, little research has focused on applying these findings to the social domain. We propose that social‐cognitive flexibility (i.e., the ability to adapt prior social knowledge to formulate solutions to new interpersonal situations) is an important component of social intelligence. This article draws a comparison between the structure of academic and social intelligence, and speculates an important relationship exists between flexible social problem‐solving and social gift‐edness.     

Teacher perspectives on the implementation of the PATHS curriculum

The research was designed to add to the UK-based literature around the Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS) curriculum, a whole school emotional literacy and social competence intervention. Seven semi-structured interviews were carried out with class teachers and pastoral leads. Questionnaires were designed to explore a number of elements including teachers’ perceptions of the PATHS curriculum effect on children’s social and emotional functioning and understanding, and also their thoughts about the implementation of the programme. Results suggested that teachers found implementing the programme a generally positive experience with some support found for the authors’ claims for improvement of children’s social and emotional functioning, some limited support for improvements in children’s ability to recognise others’ emotions and for improvements in children’s learning. Examination of the data also suggested that teachers felt that the programme needs long-term prioritisation in order to be successful. Implications for practice are discussed and future research directions considered.     

Achievement motivation and gifted students: A social cognitive perspective

The purpose of this article is to provide an illustrative review of recent research on achievement motivation and gifted students from a social cognitive perspective. The review discusses several constructs that have been a focus of motivation research: perceived competence and self-efficacy, attributions, goal orientations, and intrinsic motivation. For each construct, motivational research from the general motivation literature and from the field of gifted and talented studies are critiqued and compared. The review suggests that a general social cognitive perspective is a useful theoretical framework for research on motivational processes involved in the intellectual and personal development of gifted and talented students and that a process-oriented model is superior to a static model for research on both giftedness and achievement motivation. Implications of the review for future research on motivation and talent development are discussed.     

A comparison between intellectually gifted and typical children in their coping responses to a school and a peer stressor

The present study investigated the coping responses to two childhood stressors of fifth and sixth grade, gifted (n=52) and typical (n=55) children. The subjects were administered the Self‐Report Coping Scale for school and peer stressors (i.e., getting a lower grade than usual and having a fight with a friend). Teachers’ ratings of children's social and academic adjustment and academic potential were also obtained. Results indicated that gifted children endorsed problem‐solving strategies to a greater degree than typical children. Otherwise, gifted and typical children's reported coping strategies did not differ. Teachers’ ratings indicated better academic and social adjustment for gifted children. Future directions for the study of coping with stressors among gifted populations are addressed.     

The Social Cognition of Gifted Adolescents

This paper reviews major research findings on social cognition in gifted adolescents. We discuss interpersonal and intrapersonal perceptions of giftedness (i.e., how gifted students view themselves, and how they perceive others’ views of them), the social coping strategies of this population (e.g., denying and hiding one's giftedness, conforming to mask giftedness, and helping others), and the gender, age, and self-concept differences shown in strategy choice when interacting with others. Results suggest that both American and Chinese gifted students employ social coping strategies to manage the visibility of their abilities in social situations, and there is a consistent link between coping strategy and self-concepts; but the findings with regard to social cognitive strategies, themselves, are conflicting. Implications of these findings and recommendations are presented.     

Implementing Resilience Recommendations for Policies and Practices in Gifted Curriculum

This article explores how resilience draws upon positive individual, social, contextual, and cultural variables and buffers gifted children from the harmful impact of their psychosocial and emotional needs. Its purpose is to consider building resilience in gifted children and advocating the resilience curriculum requirement for their unique social and emotional development. Based on resilience theory, recommended policies and practices are categorized as program design, curriculum planning, educators’ capacity and continuum of gifted supports, programs, and services. This resilience framework for meeting their best interests is rethought to allow a greater opportunity for growth of innovation and change of curriculum to reflect recent trends in the field. If gifted children are to achieve their academic potential, social and emotional aspects of giftedness must be recognized and developed, because excelling in one academic area requires thriving in others.     

The social competence of highly gifted math and science adolescents

Involving 740 highly gifted math and science students from two different countries, Korea and the United States, this study examined how these gifted adolescents perceived their interpersonal ability and peer relationships and whether there were differences between these two groups by demographic variables. Based on the survey data, results showed that our gifted students perceived their interpersonal ability and peer relationships at levels comparable to or higher than those of their non-gifted counterparts. They were satisfied and confident with their peer relationships and did not identify negative effects of being gifted when forming and maintaining friendships. Differences were found between Korean and American students by gender in their profiles of interpersonal ability and peer relationships. Positive self-portrayal of social competence found for our sample disputed previous studies suggesting that highly gifted students tend to struggle with social relationships. Given that each group of students had different educational, linguistic, and cultural backgrounds, the results should also be interpreted with caution.     

An attempt to make a difference: Overlooked disadvantaged gifted Appalachian children

Thirty disadvantaged gifted children in Appalachian regions of East Tennessee attended the Summer Institute for Gifted Children at Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tennessee, at the Cumberland Gap. Home visits were conducted before and after the camp experience to determine the impact of the camp experience on the lives of these children. Findings indicate that these children benefit from both the social and academic aspects of this enriching program. The author has established a non‐profit foundation to continue the work of this project.     

The Finnish public discussion of giftedness and gifted children

The purpose of this paper is to present the results of research in which the Finnish public discussion of giftedness and gifted children, and conceptions of giftedness and gifted children presented in it, were examined. The research was conducted by analyzing articles from the Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat and the teachers’ periodical Opettaja, using the content analysis method. The results show that giftedness is seen as multidimensional, and both intrapersonal and environmental contributions are recognized as essential in talent development. The conceptions of gifted children were quite diverse, and gifted children’s possible problems were frequently discussed. Moreover, misunderstandings were revealed as well as areas that have not been adequately addressed.     

Perceived and actual academic competence in maltreated children

OBJECTIVE: The aims were twofold: 1) to determine whether maltreated and nonmaltreated children differed in the accuracy of their self-assessments of academic achievement; and 2) to determine whether discrepancies between perceived and actual academic competence were related to perceptions of social support from mothers, teachers, and peers. METHOD: A sample of 195 maltreated children known to a state protective service agency was compared to a control group of 179 nonmaltreated children. The groups were matched on child's gender, age, ethnicity, and birth order; socioeconomic ranking of neighborhood; and family structure. RESULTS: Although maltreated children had significantly lower achievement scores than did nonmal-treated children, the two groups did not differ on perceived academic competence. With regard to discrepancies between perceived and actual competence, maltreated children were more likely than nonmaltreated children to overestimate their level of competence, particularly for reading and arithmetic. Overall, children who reported low maternal support were more likely to overestimate reading competence than were those who reported average or high maternal support. When maltreatment status was considered, maltreated children with low support seemed likely to overestimate abilities, whereas nonmaltreated children with low support seemed likely to underestimate competence. CONCLUSIONS: Maltreated children may overestimate their academic abilities in order to compensate for self-perceptions of low self-worth. Efforts to improve academic performance in maltreated children should focus not only on increasing academic skills but also on enhancing self-esteem.     

美国社会能力培养研究与启示

作为儿童能力发展的重要组成部分 ,社会能力不仅影响着儿童的个性发展和社会适应性 ,而且还影响着儿童未来的社会生活。从 2 0世纪 70年代开始 ,社会能力培养的研究受到美国教育界的高度重视 ,关于社会能力的理论和实践不断得到拓展 ,并在促进儿童的社会性发展上起到了重要的作用。本文着重介绍美国社会能力培养研究的发展以及社会能力研究发展的新特点 ,并在此基础上进一步探讨美国社会能力培养研究对我国素质教育的启示。     

SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR OF GIFTED PRESCHOOL CHILDREN

This paper is divided into two parts: in the first a short overview of the current state of research on social behaviour of gifted preschool children is given; the second reports a small experimental observation study on social/cooperative play behaviour of gifted preschool children as compared with a normal kindergarten group. The study was conducted within the broad framework of a two year model project with a group of gifted children aged 3 to 6. Most striking in the results is the high absolute and relative amount of positive verbal interaction in the project group.