BRAIN ACTIVITY ASSOCIATED WITH TRANSLATION BETWEEN GRAPHICAL AND SYMBOLIC REPRESENTATIONS OF FUNCTIONS IN GENERALLY GIFTED AND EXCELLING IN MATHEMATICS ADOLESCENTS

In this study, we examine the impact and the interplay of general giftedness (G) and excellence in mathematics (EM) on high school students’ mathematical performance associated with translations from graphical to symbolic representations of functions, as reflected in cortical electrical activity (by means of ERP—event-related potentials—methodology). We report on findings of comparative data analysis based on 75 right-handed male high school students (16?–?18 years old) divided into four research groups designed by a combination of EM and G factors. Effects of EM factor appeared at the behavioral and electrophysiological levels. The fifth group of participants included 9 students with extraordinary mathematical abilities (S-MG: super mathematically gifted). We found that in EM participants, the G factor has no impact on the performance associated with translation between representations of the functions. The highest overall electrical activity is found in excelling in mathematics students who are not identified as generally gifted (NG-EM students). This increased electrical activity can be an indicator of increased cognitive load in this group of students. We identified accumulative and unique characteristics of S-MG at the behavioral and electrophysiological levels. We explain the findings by the nature of the tasks used in the study. We argue that a combination of the ERP techniques along with more traditional educational research methods enables obtaining reliable measures on the mental processing involved in learning mathematics and mathematical problem solving.     

Dynamic Assessment for Identification of Twice-Exceptional Learners Exhibiting Mathematical Giftedness and Specific Learning Disabilities

The purpose of this research was to investigate the utility of dynamic assessment (DA) in identifying a group of twice-exceptional students who exhibited mathematical giftedness and specific learning disabilities (MG/LDs). A quantitative method was applied by a multidisciplinary team to identify 30 students (16 girls and 14 boys) in the fifth and sixth grades, aged 10 years to 11 years 11 months, at three public elementary schools in Amman, Jordan. The findings of the dynamic mathematics assessment showed (a) a high variance in performance between the pre- and posttests and (b) a lack of relation with conventional static assessment (e.g., mathematics achievement tests and the arithmetic subtest in the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Jordanian version). DA was found to be beneficial for elementary school boys and girls and to affect their mathematics achievement to the same extent. No group differences were observed between low and high achievers in their learning potential as revealed by their performance on DA.     

Learning motivation and performance excellence in adolescents with high intellectual potential: what really matters?

In the development of performance excellence, the relative roles played by intellectual ability and motivation remain speculative. This study investigates the role played by general intelligence, school environment, self‐efficacy, and aspects of personal identity in the formation of learning motivation in German students attending the Gymnasium schools. Using self‐reports of academic achievement and scores on a shortened version of the Berlin intelligence structure test for adolescence to differentiate students as achievers or underachievers, ninth‐grade students were administered a battery of self‐report instruments, designed to measure learning motivation, school environment, self‐efficacy, and personal identity. After the posited factor structure was confirmed, factor scores were computed and then used as data in hierarchical regression analyses using learning motivation as the criterion variable. The results showed that the greatest predictors of learning motivation were variables related to personal identity‐style, rather than general intelligence, supporting the hypothesis that learning motivation is a moderator variable of intellectual achievement for students with intellectual giftedness, rather than an inherent component of giftedness.     

IQs ARE VERY STRONG BUT IMPERFECT INDICATORS OF PSYCHOMETRIC g: RESULTS FROM JOINT CONFIRMATORY FACTOR ANALYSIS

The most global score yielded by intelligence tests, IQs, are supported by substantial validity evidence and have historically been central to the identification of intellectual disabilities, learning disabilities, and giftedness. This study examined the extent to which IQs measure the ability they target, psychometric g. Data from three samples of children and adolescents (Ns = 200, 150, and 135) who completed varying pairs of individually administered, multidimensional intelligence tests were analyzed using a joint confirmatory factor analysis to generate correlations between IQs and general factors representing psychometric g. The resulting values, expressed as g loadings, for the six IQs ranged from .88 to .95 (M = .92). The accuracy of IQs in measuring psychometric g, the meaning of reliable specific ability variance in IQs not accounted for by psychometric g, and the use of IQs in schools and related settings are discussed.     

Student dropout at university: a phase-orientated view on quitting studies and changing majors

Student dropout can be conceptualized as a decision-making process, consisting of different phases. Based on previous literature on student dropout, decision-making, and action-phases, we proposed that the process of developing dropout intentions includes the following phases: non-fit perception, thoughts of quitting/changing, deliberation, information search, and a final decision. In the present cross-sectional study, we empirically investigated if the assumed phases can be distinguished from each other, if the phases follow the presumed order, and whether each phase is associated with certain characteristics. Furthermore, we considered a strict separation between quitting studies completely and changing a major. For this purpose, we analyzed data of N = 1005 students (average age of 23.0 years; 53% female; 47% male) from a German University. By using confirmatory factor analyses, we found the supposed factor structure for the different phases concerning both kinds of dropout, quitting studies, and changing majors. In each process, structural equation modelling indicated positive relations between adjoining phases. The factor values correlated to a substantial amount with an assortment of variables associated with student dropout. On a theoretical level, the conception of different phases of student dropout helps to get a better understanding of regulatory processes in the context of student dropout.

     

Limitations to teaching children 2 + 2 = 4: typical arithmetic problems can hinder learning of mathematical equivalence

Do typical arithmetic problems hinder learning of mathematical equivalence? Second and third graders (7–9 years old; N= 80) received lessons on mathematical equivalence either with or without typical arithmetic problems (e.g., 15 + 13 = 28 vs. 28 = 28, respectively). Children then solved math equivalence problems (e.g., 3 + 9 + 5 = 6 + __), switched lesson conditions, and solved math equivalence problems again. Correct solutions were less common following instruction with typical arithmetic problems. In a supplemental experiment, fifth graders (10–11 years old; N= 19) gave fewer correct solutions after a brief intervention on mathematical equivalence that included typical arithmetic problems. Results suggest that learning is hindered when lessons activate inappropriate existing knowledge.     

The effects of resilience in learning variables on mathematical literacy performance: a study of learning characteristics of the academic resilient and advantaged low achievers in Shanghai,Singapore, Hong Kong,Taiwan and Korea

Abstract

Many students from disadvantaged homes participating in Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2012 were classified as academic resilient (called disadvantaged high achiever, the DHA in this study). In comparison with peers of comparable home background status, there were also students from advantaged homes performing far behind standard in mathematical literacy performance (called advantaged low achiever, the ALA). Drawing data from the PISA 2012, this study sought to examine the similarities and differences in learning mathematics characteristics (ie gender, family and academic background, and resilience in learning variables) amongst students of the top five high-performing Asian economies, ie Shanghai, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Korea. The results of the logistic regression analyses showed that variables like family and academic background, as well as resilience in learning mathematics variables (eg familiarity with mathematical concept, mathematics self-efficacy, mathematics self-concept and mathematics anxiety) are able to predict whether a student of comparable disadvantaged (or advantaged) home background is more likely to be classified as DHA (or ALA) or not. The findings are important to shed light on the principles and methods of mathematics education so as to help the low achievers, whether advantaged or disadvantaged, to advance to higher level of mathematical literacy attainment.     

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.     

Cognitive Development in Gifted Children: Toward a More Precise Understanding of Emerging Differences in Intelligence

To truly understand gifted performance, it is necessary to merge research on giftedness with current thinking in cognitive development and intelligence. This article presents traditional research on gifted children's cognitive development then considers how the application of newer models and theories from the field of cognitive development can be combined with research on giftedness to change the way people think about gifted performance. First four factors that have often been associated with giftedness are discussed from the perspectives of cognitive developmental psychology and gifted education. Next, emphasis is placed on investigating the strategic development of gifted children. Specifically, R. S. Siegler's (Emerging Minds: The Process of Change in Children's Thinking, Oxford University Press, New York, 1996) model of strategy development is addressed in terms of what it may contribute to understanding gifted cognition. Finally, future lines of research using models from cognitive development and complex systems models of development are recommended.     

Sociocultural concept of high ability and heart-mind epistemology in Confucian societies

This theoretical paper begins with a reflection on the dominant conceptions of ‘high ability’, based on psychometrics, and examines claims that the ethos of a particular cultural heritage is essential to what ‘high ability’ signifies. The article semantically distinguishes ‘giftedness’ from ‘ability’, using research on Confucian heritage culture with its thick and thin dimensions. ‘Giftedness’ here means an inherited quality or endowment. ‘Ability’, on the other hand, signifies an active process open to nurture through education and – what could account for the main contribution of this paper – the role played by an ‘epistemology of heart-mind’ in Confucian heritage. The article argues that this epistemology of heart-mind constitutes a generational collective programming of mind. Such a definition could lead to a sociocultural conception of intelligence and giftedness open to development, adding a new perspective to the conceptualisation of giftedness and high ability.     

Exceptionality and gifted education: a re-examination of its hard core

The commentaries to our target article Towards a systemic theory of gifted education differed in their assessments of the various arguments we put forward. Of the more than 40 responses to our target article, 27 responses were chosen as being representative of all commentaries. We grouped the responses according to the main points in our target article, including our claims that current approaches to gifted education are ineffective, current models of giftedness are generally flawed, and systemic models of giftedness represent an advancement in the way that giftedness can be understood. Next, we outlined a systems approach to gifted education, based on the actiotope model of giftedness as its theoretical foundation. Finally, we argued that the systemic theory of gifted education represents a paradigm shift in the way we view the development of exceptionality.     

Associations of Number Line Estimation With Mathematical Competence: A Meta‐analysis

The number line estimation task is widely used to investigate mathematical learning and development. The present meta‐analysis statistically synthesized the extensive evidence on the correlation between number line estimation and broader mathematical competence. Averaged over 263 effect sizes with 10,576 participants with sample mean ages from 4 to 14 years, this correlation was r = .443. The correlation increased with age, mainly because it was higher for fractions than for whole numbers. The correlation remained stable across a wide range of task variants and mathematical competence measures (i.e., counting, arithmetic, school achievement). These findings demonstrate that the task is a robust tool for diagnosing and predicting broader mathematical competence and should be further investigated in developmental and experimental training studies.     

Mastery of the counting principles in toddlers: A crucial step in the development of budding arithmetic abilities?

Counting abilities have been described as determinative precursors for a good development of later arithmetic abilities. Mastery of the stable order, the one–one-correspondence and the cardinality principles can be seen as essential features for the development of counting abilities. Mastery of the counting principles in kindergarten was assessed in a large group of children with a broad range of arithmetic abilities (N = 423). Not all children mastered the counting principles by the end of kindergarten. Mastery of the counting principles in kindergarten was predictive for arithmetic abilities one year later in first grade, especially for scores on arithmetic achievement tests. Children sharing a common educational background tend to have more similar scores on arithmetic tests, yet the importance of mastery of the essential counting principles in the prediction of later arithmetic achievement was the same for all classrooms.     

Social coping and self-concept among young gifted students in Ireland and the United States: a cross-cultural study

Social coping and self-concept were explored among Irish (n = 115) and American (n = 134) grades 3–8 students. Denying one’s giftedness or the impact it has on peer relationships were associated with poor self-concept in both samples. Among Irish students, denying giftedness was associated with more positive self-concept when paired with a high activity level. Engaging in many activities in the US sample and helping one’s peers in the Irish sample were positive predictors of academic self-concept. Findings suggest young gifted students may benefit from learning more about their exceptional abilities and their impact on peers. They should also be encouraged to engage in extracurricular activities and find ways to use their exceptional abilities to support their peers.     

The relation between mastery goals and intrinsic motivation among university students: a longitudinal study

The present work broadens previous research on students’ mastery goals and intrinsic motivation by exploring their reciprocal effects using a longitudinal approach. To this end, a study using four measurement points was conducted during 10 weeks of one semester. The sample comprised 1156 students enrolled in psychology courses at a medium-sized university in Germany who completed questionnaires. The findings showed that both constructs were intra-individually stable over the course of one semester although the rank-order stability of mastery goals was higher than the rank-order stability of intrinsic motivation. Cross-lagged structural equation models revealed that students’ mastery goals predicted their intrinsic motivation throughout the semester. However, intrinsic motivation did not predict mastery goals. Results are discussed in terms of a potential integration of achievement goal theory and self-determination theory and their practical implications.     

Labels of giftedness and gender-typicality: Effects on adults' judgments of children's traits

The study examines the impressions adults form of children as a function of labels of giftedness and gender-typicality. Participants read about a child described as male/female, “gifted”/“average,” and gender-typical/gender-atypical in academic interests; they then responded on 30 adjective scales. Compared with children labeled “average,” children labeled “gifted” are seen as closer to odd than to fits in well. Gender-atypical boys were considered more odd and gender-atypical girls were rated less odd than were gender-typical children, regardless of giftedness. There was no additive negative effect of being both gifted and gender-atypical. Basically, participants described gifted and gender-atypical children differently; some overlap exists between adjectives used to describe these children (e.g., odd). Giftedness and gender-atypicality are related but separate concepts, each with many facets. The interrelationships and diversity of the two concepts must be assessed when individuals consider the impression that gifted or gender-atypical children make on others.     

Creative Giftedness Is Not Just What Creativity Tests Test: Implications of a Triangular Theory of Creativity for Understanding Creative Giftedness

Creativity tests, at best, measure only a small sliver of the whole of creative giftedness. These tests assess aspects of creative intelligence. But creativity is at least as much a conscious decision and even an attitude toward life as it is a traditionally defined ability. This article discusses how well-intentioned gifted educators may be following the wrong path by overly relying on tests of creativity to measure creative giftedness. This article presents a triangular theory of giftedness that conceptualizes creativity largely as an attitude toward life rather than as ability based.     

Paint-by-Number Teachers and Cookie-Cutter Students: The Unintended Effects of High-Stakes Testing on the Education of Gifted Students

This study examined the utility of the Gifted Composite (GC) formula derived from selected subtests on the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales, Fifth Edition (SB5) for evaluating intellectual giftedness. A sample of 52 children were administered both the SB5 and Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement, Third Edition (WJ-III ACH). The ability of the Full-Scale IQ (FSIQ) and the GC to predict reading and math achievement were compared. Though both the FSIQ and GC significantly predicted standardized achievement test scores, the FSIQ explained more of the variance. Sequential regression analyses suggested that the SB5 factor scores preformed differently in their contribution of unique variance to the predictions. The inclusion of working memory scores in the calculation of the FSIQ appears to account for the difference in predictions between the FSIQ and GC for reading but not math skills.     

Subtypes of mathematical learning disability and their antecedents: A cognitive diagnostic approach

Using cognitive diagnostic modeling (CDM), this study identified subtypes of mathematics learning disability (MLD) based on children's numerical skills and examined the language and spatial precursors of these subtypes. Participants were 99 MLD children and 420 low achievers identified from 1839 Finnish children (966 boys) who were followed from preschool (age 6) to fourth grade (2007–2011). Five subtypes were identified: the arithmetic fluency deficit only subtype, the counting deficit subtype, the pervasive deficit subtype, the symbolic deficit subtype, and the counting and concept deficit subtype. Different subtypes depended on different constellations of language and spatial deficits. Findings highlight the effectiveness of CDM in identifying MLD subtypes and underscore the importance of understanding the specific deficits and antecedents of the subtypes.     

Dimensions of academic interest among undergraduate students: passion,confidence, aspiration and self-expression

We investigated psychological dimensions of academic interest among undergraduate students (N = 325) using a global academic interest scale. The scale was administered together with measures of academic performance, educational aspiration, career planning, goal setting, life satisfaction, attitudes towards leisure, personality and value. Exploratory factor analyses revealed four dimensions of academic interest: passion for learning, confidence in the future, career aspiration and self-expression. All four dimensions were significantly related to career planning, goal setting and life satisfaction. On the other hand, specific pairings of significant relationships were found between different dimensions of academic interest and personality and value, suggesting that students with different personalities and different sets of values are likely to appreciate and respond to different aspects of academic interest. We conclude with implications for research on academic interest development across a more diverse range of age groups.