Identification of gifted students

School curricula are changing, most notably in the field of special education. One area which is increasingly receiving more emphasis is gifted education. The gifted student, who has too long been overlooked, is now eligible for placement in special education classes designed to further the development of his unique abilities. The role of the school psychologist in identification of the gifted student is discussed.     

Selection of mathematically talented students

This paper reports a study concerned with the selection of mathematically talented students at the beginning of secondary school in Australia using a version of the College Board's Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). Some young students achieved scores comparable with older mathematically able students and with college-bound students in USA. Teacher nomination of students as talented resulted in the selection of considerably different groups of students to those selected using the SAT. Marked sex differences, in favour of boys, are noted and discussed. Three different procedures for comparing item responses of younger and older groups are employed, leading to the conclusion that younger and older students respond to SAT items in qualitatively different ways. Comparison procedures based on the Rasch model for measurement are favoured.     

Motivation in gifted students

This study investigated the factors which had influenced the role of motivation in the high levels of achievement of a sample of fifteen gifted students, aged 14/15 years, in five secondary schools in England. The students were interviewed individually, and their parents and teachers were also interviewed for validation of the students' comments. The results indicated the influences of teaching and learning provision, of support and of social and emotional factors on the students' motivation. The role of motivation in the realisation of the students' high ability, in achievement of personal goals and in maintaining the progress and achievements of those who had problems was also clear. Evidence of the importance of both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in the students' achievement was also shown.     

Suicide among gifted students

Suicide has become the solution to an increasing number of gifted youth's mounting frustrations. While not all or even a documented majority of gifted children attempt suicide as a solution to life's Stressors, the loss of even a small number of gifted youth is reason enough for intervention to be actively sought. One possible solution is mandatory counseling within the gifted curriculum as a preventive intervention.     

Perceptual skills and Arabic literacy patterns for mathematically gifted children with specific learning difficulties

Phonological awareness is a key factor in the development of literacy, and frequently presents itself as an area of weakness in pupils with reading difficulties. In this article, Anies Al-Hroub of the American University of Beirut sets out to define a distinguishing pattern of characteristics that supports the identification of pupils with specific learning difficulties who are gifted in mathematics and reports the assessment of the pupils' visual and auditory perceptual skills, including phonological awareness. The assessments were designed to measure auditory and visual memory skills, auditory and visual analysis skills, speed of information processing and spoken language (receptive and expressive). Furthermore, aspects of language learning such as reading, writing, spelling and parts of listening ability were all assessed for mathematically gifted pupils with specific learning difficulties who scored above the cut-off score of 120 on the WISC-III-Jordan. The article closes with recommendations for further research.     

Wishes of fourth-through seventh-grade gifted students

Three wishes and primary wishes of fourth- through seventh-grade gifted students participating in a residential program for the gifted were collected and categorized. The results indicated that males wished for material things more often than did females. With the exception of fourth graders, subjects made altruistic wishes more frequently than any other wish.     

大学生创造性学习能力培养的改革思路

本文结合近年来高校一些实际情况 ,从五方面探讨了如何加强对医学生创造性学习能力培养的改革思路及实践     

Effects of math anxiety and perfectionism on timed versus untimed math testing in mathematically gifted sixth graders

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 preceded the untimed condition. We also found that children with higher levels of either math anxiety or perfectionism had a smaller performance discrepancy during timed versus untimed testing, relative to children with lower levels of math anxiety or perfectionism. There were no statistically significant gender differences in overall test performance, nor in levels of math anxiety or perfectionism; however, the difference between performance on timed and untimed math testing was statistically significant for girls, but not for boys. Implications for educators are discussed.     

Curriculum as motivation for gifted students

Curriculum is the framework around which much of students' school experience is structured; it represents expectations for growth and learning and demonstrates what is valued within the learning environment. The degree to which curriculum is motivating for gifted students depends in part on the individual student and how his or her goals and values align with those in the environment. This article explores the interplay between the school curriculum and the motivations of gifted students to engage with it. Key concepts include achievement goal orientation, challenge and meaningfulness in the curriculum, and boredom and interest, with attention to the interplay among all of these concepts. A summary of recommendations regarding appropriate curriculum for advanced learners is provided. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

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.     

Project L.O.G.I.C.: Nurturing the mathematically gifted

A career education model for gifted secondary students proceeds from a broad awareness of the fifteen career clusters to specific career decision‐making by the individual student.     

Computer-based advanced placement calculus for gifted students

A computer-based course in Advanced Placement Calculus AB, developed at the Institute for Mathematical Studies in the Social Sciences at Stanford University, was completed by 13 gifted students in grades 7–10 from seven different junior and senior high schools. This article covers the selection procedures for students, the day-to-day progress of the calculus students during the 1990–91 school year, details of the derivation system developed, operational aspects of the hardware and software systems that were used, and analysis of individual differences that appear in the self-placed environment. The 13 students took the Advanced Placement Calculus AB examination in May 1991. All students passed. Six scored 5 (the highest grade); Six scored 4, and one scored 3, for an average score of 4.4.This article summarizes research supported by National Science Foundation Grants MDR-90-50008, MDR-85-50596, and MDR-87-51523 at Stanford University.     

The views of Pasifika students in New Zealand about communicating mathematically

This paper focuses on the perspectives of Years 7 and 8 Pasifika students on mathematics learning, in particular their views about the communication of solution strategies with others (their peers), and their teacher. Pasifika students' ideas about the importance of communicating their mathematical reasoning and strategies to peers and teachers were analysed and themes identified. While most students were in agreement about the importance of explaining their thinking to others, there was considerable variation in the reasons they gave for their views. The findings are interpreted in relation to socio-cultural theory and recent writing about requirements for citizenship in the twenty-first century.     

Effectiveness of the PPVT-R for screening gifted students

The PPVT-R and the WISC-R were administered to a sample of 35 students, grades 1 through 8, who were nominated for possible participation in gifted programming. The correlation between the PPVT-R and Full Scale IQ was .27, which probably was affected by the restricted range of ability assessed. The PPVT-R showed modest incremental effectiveness beyond informal referral procedures in predicting toward a WISC-R criterion score.