Education Commons^™

Scaling The Wall: Math Attitudes And Mindsets Of Middle School High-Achievers, Stephanie R. Gullage

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This intrinsic case study examined groups of gifted and high achieving middle school mathematics students in one school’s advanced and honors program. The purpose of this study was to determine how the students view themselves in light of noncognitive constructs, how they regard and apply those constructs in their mathematics studies, how the work of those constructs can affect their attitudes toward mathematics, and how they believe educators can help foster success in math via noncognitive factors. The researcher employed a questionnaire, observations, focus group interviews, and interviews with key informants to gather study data. With the theoretical lenses of …

Gifted And…: Teacher Reflection And Transformation In Response To Teaching Gifted Students, Patrick Gene Rabon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

12 teachers, representing five schools in a district, shared via individual interviews their insights regarding giftedness and the needs of gifted students. These interviews explored the characteristics of giftedness and gifted education, the needs participants identified through their experiences with their students, the choices participants made regarding these needs, and the various ways participants reflected on these choices. This study used reflexive thematic analysis and transformative learning theory to make sense of the data, and a reparative approach shaped the study’s approach to the collection and analysis of the data. This study found that participants tended to think in terms …

Educators’ Beliefs About Using Academic Acceleration With Gifted Math Students And Others: Barriers And Opportunities, Jason Gorgia

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study examined the perceptions of educators (i.e., math teachers, administrators, and others) for insight into the absence of acceleration as a common pedagogical strategy in mathematics, despite longstanding research supporting the practice for students gifted in math and the interest frequently articulated by policymakers and educators in boosting American K-12 students’ math achievement. Educators from 48 states responded to scale-based and open-ended questions about math acceleration through an online survey where 713 of 818 respondents were teachers, balanced almost evenly among elementary, middle, and high schools, and among urban, suburban, and rural settings. The responses of teachers and non-teaching …

Gifted And Talented Student Performance On State Achievement Tests, Dondre Harris

ATU Theses and Dissertations 2021 - Present

The exploration of dissecting gifted and talented programs combined with student advancement and academic success is one daunting but doable. The purpose of this study was to investigate the equity of the gifted and talented program while analyzing the achievement scores of these students compared to their peers. This quantitative study includes an evaluation of third through fifth grade students in a central Arkansas school district while merging the relationships of the general education population versus the academically gifted and talented population. Both groups were examined through the independent variables classified as ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status. A descriptive data …

Decentering The White Gaze: The Effects Of Involving African-American Students In Curricular Decision-Making In An Independent School Library, Michelle Efird Rosen

Theses and Dissertations

Many Black students at independent schools across the nation spend most of their educational lives with few classmates or teachers who look like them. This isolation is exacerbated by a curriculum that historically has taught to a White standard of excellence. Long the bastion of wealthy, White families, independent schools have generally failed to make headway in their efforts to recruit Black families to their campuses. This has left Black students with the burden of finding their own methods of adapting to a predominantly White school environment. This study sought to determine how involving four African-American fourth-grade students in a …

“Young, Gifted, And Black”: Understanding The Complex Experiences Of High-Achieving Black Students In Ap Classes At A Diverse Suburban High School, Jody Elliott-Schrimmer

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the social and academic experiences of Black students in AP English classes at a diverse suburban high school. This study aimed to illuminate their experiences while giving voice to this traditionally marginalized group. Students provided recommendations for increasing academic success and belonging for future students as schools continually work toward gender and racial equity in the AP classroom. In this Critical Race Theory (CRT) oriented study, I sought to understand the essence of the Black experience in predominantly White academic spaces through a phenomenological methodology. I analyzed the significant moments and …

Rethinking Bibliotherapy: Portraits Of Gifted Adult Readers, Jervaise M. Pileggi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Gifted individuals have unique socioemotional needs due to their sensitivity and intensities. Bibliotherapy is often recommended to gifted persons to help them understand themselves and others and to address affective needs. However, bibliotherapy’s roots are embedded within a clinical background, thus requiring an element of discussion. Instead, I argue that gifted adults use metacognition to replace the need for discussion. Portraits of gifted adult readers (N=7) in their 30s-50s illustrate that metacognition has occurred over their lifespan regarding their reading, with only one participant actively engaging in discussion, and book selection meets the socioemotional needs of the reader. The findings …

Examining Teachers' Referral And Placement Decisions Of Hispanic Children For Gifted And Talented Programs, Guillermo I. Mendoza

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative survey design study examined whether children’s ethnicity makes a difference in teachers’ referral and placement decisions in gifted and talented (G/T) programs. A total of 524 teachers from all over the United States who have taught or currently teach pre-kindergarten through 5th grade participated. The participants were randomly given one of six vignettes adapted from a previous similar study (Elhoweris et al., 2005). Participants answered whether the child described should be referred and placed into gifted and talented programs. All six vignettes described gifted and talented characteristics; the only differences were the children's ethnicity and socioeconomic status. Data …

Educator Perceptions Of Giftedness In Florida, Casey Leone

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Educators, including teachers and administrators, have a responsibility to increase knowledge and achievement for all students. Gifted students who demonstrate increased abilities and proficiencies are often given less attention as schools continue to increase their focus on the lower quartile of students. To address this need, gifted programs are implemented to foster excellence in identified students. However, educational policies pertaining to identification and qualifications for gifted programs can serve as gatekeepers denying students that could potentially benefit from rigorous and enriching programs. In this quantitative study, the perceptions of educators in Florida towards gifted policy were explored through a series …

Cocreating A Strength-Based Behavioral Intervention Plan With Twice-Exceptional Students: A Youth Participatory Action Research Approach, Kristy L. Garrett

Theses and Dissertations

Twice-exceptional students are dually identified as academically gifted and talented and learning or medically disabled. These students face greater challenges to success in school and often have social and emotional issues that require accommodations and supports beyond those available in the general classroom. These students may not be receiving social and emotional supports through IEP or 504 Plans, or these supports may use a deficit rather than a strength-based approach. This study used a youth participatory action research method to empower twice-exceptional students to cocreate a strength-based, behavioral intervention plan to help them self-modulate strong emotional responses that hindered their …

Perceptions Of Gifted Male Underperformance, Laura Bryant Palmer

Theses and Dissertations

The underperformance of gifted students is a concern facing all educators. Having students who do not work up to their potential, who make grades lower than test scores show they could, and who choose to focus on other interests instead of academics are issues that occur in many schools. This study sought to learn the perceptions of educational leader in regard to this underperformance. The Palmer Model, a proposed intervention plan, was developed based on a Response to Intervention (RtI) model using a 3-tier intervention approach. Using online questionnaires and focus groups, perceptions were examined and critiques of the proposed …

Factors Contributing To Barriers To Equity In Gifted And Talented Identification, Adam Grant Lamparske

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the existing barriers to equity in the identification and servicing of gifted students in a small mid-western suburban school district. A mixed method approach guided by constructivist philosophy was used to conduct this research. An inductive Grounded Theory was the methodological approach. This study sought to gather the perception of school district stakeholders to identify potential barriers that exist for specific subgroups of students to being identified for gifted and talented services. The research questions for this Problem of Practice were as follows: (1) How do teachers and parents in School District …

Secondary School Gifted Students’ Attitude Toward The Classera Learning Management System In Saudi Arabia, Mansour Alamri

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The present study examined secondary students’ attitude toward the Classera learning management system (LMS) within the context of gifted education in Saudi Arabia. The theoretical framework that guided this study was the technology acceptance model (TAM). Data were collected using the TAM survey, which consisted three subscales: perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and attitude. The data were collected from 306 gifted students in a secondary school in Saudi Arabia.Results indicated that gifted students’ attitude toward the Classera LMS is positive and showed that perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use were statistically significant predictors of gifted students’ attitude toward …

Multicultural Perceptions Of Creativity, Abby Noel Winterbrook

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Multicultural Perceptions of Creativity examined perceptions of creativity among eight creatively gifted adults from diverse backgrounds who have a profession in an arts related field. This study examined what the phenomenon of creativity is and how it is experienced. The beliefs that inform perceptions of creativity were explored. The experiences that inform perceptions of creativity were described. The interactions among beliefs and experiences were considered. The data collected revealed that creativity is an instinct that each person possesses and can activate within themselves. Creativity can be nurtured based on environment and through personal, educational, professional, and cultural experiences. Creativity involves …

Perceptions And Practices Of Families With Economic Disadvantages Regarding Giftedness And Family Involvement, Jennifer Lemoine

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This hermeneutic phenomenological research study addressed the persistent problem of practice of underrepresentation of economically disadvantaged students in gifted education by exploring the beliefs, experiences, and practices of families with economic disadvantages pertaining to giftedness and family involvement in education. Data was gathered from six participants with economic disadvantages and a gifted child through two interviews and analyzed using the hermeneutic circle to uncover patterns and themes.

Themes emerged around each of the three research questions including themes for beliefs and experiences pertaining to giftedness: resiliency, creativity, overexcitability, divergent thinking, twice-exceptionality, intelligence, asynchronous development, and negative behaviors. Findings also point …

Gifted Female Voices: Perceptions Of Differentiation In Secondary And Higher Education, Ann Makikalli

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

While the advocacy of differentiation as best pedagogical practices for instruction of gifted students can be found in scholarly literature, minimal research attention has been given to high-ability students’ perceptions about their lived classroom experiences. Lack of challenging and accelerated content for identified gifted students can lead to boredom, negative self-perception, and disengagement from school. Gifted adolescent females, who are less likely to address barriers to realizing their potential can especially suffer or thrive depending on curriculum. The purpose of this qualitative study is to describe identified female gifted university students’ perceptions of pre-collegiate and collegiate differentiation of curriculum and …

Teachers’ Perceptions Of Differentiated Instruction For Gifted Students In The Middle School General Classroom, Christine Belzic

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The research problem this study addressed was that general education teachers are struggling to meet the needs of gifted students with differentiated instruction at the middle school level. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to investigate middle school teachers’ perceptions of differentiating instruction for gifted learners and any challenges or barriers the teachers may experience. Tomlinson’s theory of differentiation was the conceptual framework for this study. The research questions addressed teachers’ understanding of giftedness, preparedness to differentiate instruction for gifted students, strategies used for differentiating instruction for gifted students, and perceived barriers or challenges to differentiating instruction for …

Making The Invisible Visible: Redefining Giftedness To Include Ell Students’ Community Cultural Wealth And Funds Of Knowledge, Molly I. Pargas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study used improvement science methods to investigate a problem of practice surrounding the underrepresentation of ELL students in GT programming. This research addressed how teachers define giftedness using their underlying knowledge frameworks. The researcher conducted empathy interviews with parents of ELL students and a team of teachers to determine what the underlying issues are regarding the underrepresentation of ELL students in GT. The parent empathy interviews were coded using the combined conceptual framework of community cultural wealth (Yosso, 2005) and funds of knowledge (Moll et al, 1992). Through this process the types of capital and funds of knowledge were …

A Phenomenological Collective Case Study Of Mexican American Gifted Dropouts In South Texas, Albert Irlas

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the shared experiences of formally identified gifted Mexican American students that decided to drop out of high school in the south Texas region. The researcher utilized a phenomenological collective case study approach that investigated the influences that led gifted learners to drop out of high school via a series of semi-structured interviews that collected and analyzed the shared narrative data (Creswell, 2013; Degand, 2015; Seidman, 2014). Prevailing studies have found that Mexican American gifted learners are more likely to live in economically depressed communities, more likely to suffer from linguistic and cultural …

I Don’T Always Know What It Means For A Child To Be Gifted, Laura I. Hemond

M.S.Ed. in Educational Leadership Research Projects

Gifted education, or more specifically the gifted label, needs clarification. Labeling students as gifted leads to preconceived beliefs and ideas about students and their overall abilities. The purpose of this study was to acquire insight into how gifted students are perceived in order to better understand and meet the needs of gifted students. Through a qualitative approach, interviews were conducted with teachers and administrators regarding their perceptions surrounding the characteristics, identification process, and needs of gifted students. Results yielded consistencies and discrepancies in the perception of gifted education, ranging from student behaviors, identification of students, and perceived understanding of the …

The Relationship Between Creativity And Teamwork: The Effect Of Improved Teamwork On The Creative Output Of Gifted Students, Brian Stroinski

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

The purpose of this study was twofold. First, it sought to determine how to improve students’ cooperative learning skills and the ability to work in teams among gifted students. Secondly, whether and to what effect improved cooperative learning skills had on creativity among gifted students. Teamwork was improved through a direct instruction unit on teamwork, where students participated in coding activities, role-plays, and other cooperative games. Destination Imagination challenges were used to determine teamwork and creativity scores and students participated in a survey of their own and their teammates performance on the challenges. The participants were 38 gifted students from …

High-Ability Middle School Girls In Independent Schools, Maria Arellano

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Research shows that middle school is a critical time for gifted girls. There is much research as to why and the ways in which girls’ intellectual ambitions significantly wane during the middle school years, but not much on how to combat the issue. Whatever studies have been conducted in the area of gifted and talented female learners has been largely done in the public sector. Given the unique culture and practice of independent schools existing research on this topic in public schools does not provide a clear view of how independent schools are catering to their most highly able female …

How Parents, Teachers, Psychologists, And Educational Environments Influence Developmental Transitions Of Preadolescent Twice-Exceptional Students, Karen B. Arnstein

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this collective case study was to examine the perceived developmental transitions of preadolescent, twice-exceptional students to understand both the supports and barriers from the perspective of parents, teachers, and psychologists. The case for this study, located in a western U.S. state, was a private school educating twice-exceptional students. The research questions guiding the study included the following: How do parents perceive growth in both academic and psychosocial development? How do educators perceive growth in both academic and psychosocial development? What are the supports that promote successful developmental transitions? What are the barriers that inhibit successful developmental transitions? …

Empathy And Understanding: The Impact Of Gifted Adults In The Field Of Gifted Education, Laura N. Boroughf

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the perceptions of gifted adults, who are educators, in order to understand the empathy and advocacy that comes with a shared childhood experience. This is a qualitative study that used narratives to voice the experience of the gifted child through the memory of eight gifted adult educators. These memories, and reflections on identification, were told through interviews. Themes emerged related to empathy, advocacy, and cognitive dissonance, as well as imposter syndrome, career readiness, gifted minorities and the positives of gifted programming. Ultimately, it was found that gifted programming is overwhelmingly a positive experience and mirrors the statement …

Supporting The Affective Needs Of Gifted Readers: An Educational Criticism And Connoisseurship Study, Kimberly G. Freed

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this Educational Criticism and Connoisseurship Study was to analyze the perceptions of parents and teachers of reading supports and barriers on the affective development of gifted readers. The research questions that guided this study were: What do parents and teachers perceive as the most effective reading supports that promote the affective development of young gifted readers? What do parents and teachers perceive as the major barriers that hinder the affective development of elementary gifted readers? How can children’s literature be used to support or hinder the affective development of gifted readers? Participants of this study were parents …

Gifted Identification In Young, Historically Underrepresented Populations: A Phenomenological Study, Meryl A. Faulkner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the implications of the low numbers of identified gifted young, historically underrepresented students. The research questions that guided this study were: what are educators’ experiences of the gifted identification process of young, historically underrepresented students? What are parents’ experiences of the gifted identification process for their young, historically underrepresented child?

Participants were parents of a student from an underrepresented population (American Indian or Alaskan Native, Latinx, Black or African American, and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander) identified gifted in second grade or younger or educators who were involved in the …

Retaining Gifted Individuals For The Sustainability Of Rural Communities, Jessie B. Matthews

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Retaining Gifted Individuals for the Sustainability of Rural Communities examined the supports and barriers to young gifted adults’ choices regarding living in rural communities. The narrative methodology revealed the perceptions of remote rural community members through single, face-to-face interviews to understand the challenges and opportunities young gifted individuals encounter. Through community member interviews, participants echoed sentiments indicating supports, barriers, and the power of place play a significant role in gifted individuals’ desire to remain in their local community. The findings suggested through celebrating place, engagement in the local community, and encouragement to solve local problems, gifted individuals will engage in …

Building Community In The Classroom For Culturally Linguistically Economically Diverse Gifted Learners, Michelle Elaine Norberto-Whipple

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of active community building in a classroom with culturally linguistically economically diverse (CLED) gifted learners in a semirural school district who underachieve. The central research question was, how does actively building classroom community interact with CLED gifted learners who underachieve? The research questions were the following: What are educators’ perceptions of CLED gifted learners who underachieve? How do educators implement community-building in the classroom? What are parents’ perceptions of actively building community in the classroom with CLED gifted learners who underachieve? The four primary categories that emerged were (a) meeting …

Reducing Underrepresentation: Promising Practices In Florida, Catherine A. Mullins

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this study, I examined representation rates of gifted students from diverse backgrounds in Florida county school districts. Florida state legislation governing gifted student education allows for alternative identification methods to be used for students from underrepresented groups if plans for such identification are approved by the Florida Department of Education; however, this option, informally referred to as “Plan B” after subsection B of the legislation governing gifted services, is not a requirement that districts must follow. Consequently, there are large differences in the ways districts identify underrepresented students for gifted services. State legislation identifies underrepresented populations as students with …

Critical Thinking In The Age Of Fake News: Developing Fairmindedness And Metacognition Among Gifted High School Learners, Tiffany Dimatteo

Theses and Dissertations

Critical thinking has proved essential for college, career, and civic readiness, and K-12 educators have accepted its significance while being unsure of how to implement it in the classroom. The purpose of this mixed methods action research study was to identify effective instructional practices for developing fairmindedness and metacognition, two elements of critical thinking identified by Paul and Elder (2012) and purposefully selected by the participating students and the practitioner-researcher as the focus for this study. A hybrid instructional approach that integrated direct instruction and collaborative learning was developed, enacted and studied using a pre-/post-assessment model with four weeks of …