Gifted Education Commons^™

Do They Matter? What Role Do 5th-12th Grade Teachers' Attitudes Have In The Academic Success Of Black Girls In Classrooms?, Kamita R. Thigpen

Dissertations

There is a recognized need to focus on the intersectionality of race and gender to determine the specific needs of Black girls in education and for them to gain more academic success. This study set out to determine teachers' attitudes towards Black girls in the post-racial era. A combined quantitative and qualitative methodological approach was used to determine if the attitudes of teachers towards Black girls maintain racial barriers that have been found in education.

“Tag, You’Re It!”: Catalyzing Latino Success Through A Latino-Centered College Access Program In Boston, Ilyitch Nahiely Tábora

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

This mixed-methods case study examined the impact on Latino students of a Latino-centered college access program, the Talented and Gifted (TAG) Latino Program, based at Boston’s only public university (the University of Massachusetts Boston). Centering on the experiences of predominantly—but not exclusively—Latino alumni, the study triangulated quantitative survey data from 127 participants, qualitative data from 27 “Cafecito" focus groups involving a total of 120 alumni, and content analysis of 27 documents developed collaboratively during Cafecitos. Through this approach, the study amplified alumni voices to define the TAG program’s impact on their academic, social, personal, and professional advancement, illuminating the characteristics …

Daily Life Therapy: Daily Living Skills Training (Handwashing, Brushing Teeth, And Getting Dressed) For Parents Of Autistic Children, Christpher T. Fontecchio

Instructional Design Capstones Collection

The Boston Higashi School founded by Dr. Kiyo Kitahara in 1987 has been utilizing Daily Life Therapy to teach residential autistic children daily living skills. Parents, whose children attend the Boston Higashi school just in the day program, have expressed challenges in teaching daily living skills when their children are home and have asked for strategies to carry over what is being taught at school into their home. Utilizing the tenets of “Kimochi Zukuri,” to prepare the child’s mind for a task, the training proposed with this project is to bridge the gap in teaching daily living skills from Boston …

Chinese Teachers’ Attitude, Efficay, And Practice Of Inclusive Education In The Uae Public Schools: An Explanatory Study, Dingfei Shen

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

Chinese language teachers in UAE public schools represent a key demographic in achieving the nation’s vision for educational inclusion. This dissertation examines how these teachers’ attitude and self-efficacy influence their inclusive education practice. The main objective is to model and explain the relationship between these three constructs within the UAE setting. The study employs an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design, utilizing a quantitative survey for model testing followed by in-depth qualitative interviews for deep-seated explanations. The quantitative analysis establishes a significant structural relationship, notably demonstrating a full mediation of teacher self-efficacy between their attitude and inclusive practice. A Structural Equation Model …

Drawing Disintegration: A Twice-Exceptional Individual’S Autoethnographic Inquiry Into Graphic Narrative Creation As A Tool For Processing Trauma, Natalie J. Krusemeier

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This autoethnographic study explores the researcher’s lived experience of childhood trauma as a twice exceptional individual with an arts-based autoethnography research design, specifically in the form of graphic narrative. Grounded in Dabrowski’s Theory of Positive Disintegration (TPD), this study examines how emotional and sensory intensity, overexcitability (OE), and psychological disintegration intersect with twice-exceptional (2e) identity development and identity authenticity potential. Data sources include personal artifacts from childhood and adulthood—journals, letters, graphic narrative, documents, and photographs—alongside reflective writings and completed graphic narrative pages. Using descriptive coding and TPD’s developmental levels as analytic lenses, the study interprets the processes of disintegration and …

Evaluating The Implementation And Effectiveness Of The Tiered Support Model For Students With Additional Learning Needs Within Adek’S Inclusion Policy Framework, Siham Mohamed Ahmed

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

This study examines the implementation and efficacy of the tiered model of support for students with additional learning needs in the UAE, in line with ADEK’s inclusion policy. The model relies on accurate identification of students, effective teacher intervention, and collaboration with parents to ensure positive learning outcomes. The study aims to evaluate the practical application of this model by assessing the validity and reliability of commonly used identification tools, such as MAP and CAT4, examining teacher preparedness, training, and progress monitoring strategies, and exploring school administrators’ perspectives on the system’s effectiveness. Using a mixed-methods approach combining assessment data analysis, …

Investigating The Relationship Between Noun Classes And Plant Folk Taxonomy In Chasu Language Of Kilimanjaro Region In Tanzania, Peter Rabson Mziray

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

The current study investigates the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu (G 22). The study focuses on two objectives: the first objective is to describe the plant folk taxonomy in Chasu and the second objective is to determine the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu. Data were collected from rural villages in Same and Mwanga districts by using free listing, field interviews (jungle-walk-and-identify), and written texts containing Chasu plant names. The findings reveal that Chasu folk taxonomy reflects different ethnobotanical categories; including a unique beginner which is mmea/mimea ‘plant(s)’, and three life …

Assessing Teachers’ Practices In Supporting Gifted/Talented And Twice-Exceptional Students In Schools And Centers In Abu Dhabi, Zayed Jaber

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

Gifted/talented and twice-exceptional (2e) students, especially those whose needs are often overlooked in mainstream classrooms, are more likely to benefit from consistently implemented Differentiated Instructional Practices (DIPs). This study aimed to examine implelemntation of DIPs for gifted/talented and 2e students and to compare the practices implemented between of Special Educational Needs (SEN) teachers and General Education teachers in schools and centers within Abu Dhabi. This research used a quantitative, cross-sectional survey design to collect data from eighty-six teachers from Abu Dhabi. A questionnaire was designed to rate teachers’ self-reported implementation of DIPs across the four domains of content, process, product, …

Assessing Teachers’ Practices In Supporting Gifted/Talented And Twice-Exceptional Students In Schools And Centers In Abu Dhabi, Zayed Jaber

Theses

Gifted/talented and twice-exceptional (2e) students, especially those whose needs are often overlooked in mainstream classrooms, are more likely to benefit from consistently implemented Differentiated Instructional Practices (DIPs). This study aimed to examine implelemntation of DIPs for gifted/talented and 2e students and to compare the practices implemented between of Special Educational Needs (SEN) teachers and General Education teachers in schools and centers within Abu Dhabi. This research used a quantitative, cross-sectional survey design to collect data from eighty-six teachers from Abu Dhabi. A questionnaire was designed to rate teachers’ self-reported implementation of DIPs across the four domains of content, process, product, …

From Mirrors To Maps: Reimagining Supervision Through Coaching, Reflection And Metaphor, Meg Norris, Sungeun Min, Andrew S. Miness, Tracy Driehaus

Education Faculty Research

No abstract provided.

Red: A Crayon’S Story Bibliotherapy, David Wolff

OER Materials

The goal of this assignment was for preservice teachers to practice writing a chain of questions that focused on the social and/or emotional needs of young learners. Bibliotherapy is therapeutic in nature to help individuals understand themselves and the world around them through guided reading experiences (American Library Association, 2025; Delisle & Galbraith, 2002). Further, bibliotherapy allow individuals to identify a personal problem mirrored by a character in a book. As the reader connects with the character, the reader experiences the emotions expressed by the character. Finally, the reader applies the character’s experience to their own personal problem (American Library …

Becoming Again: Dialogues On Identity Formation Among Second-Career Educators In Initial Certification Programs, Michelle White, Tracy Driehaus, Mark Wolfmeyer

Education Faculty Research

No abstract provided.

Ua 64/2 The Challenge: Magazine For The Center For Gifted Studies (No. 59 Fall 2025), Elizabeth Joyce Editor

Gifted Studies Publications

Magazine created by and about the WKU Center for Gifted Studies.

Summer Symposium 2025, Student Inquiry And Research (Sir)

IMSAloquium Event Booklets

For nearly four decades, IMSA has worked to advance the human condition through educational innovation. The Summer Symposium is our annual showcase for the research projects that were conducted in IMSA’s experiential learning programs between May and August. These programs include Student Inquiry and Research (SIR), IN2 Business Internships, and the Student Research and Experiential Learning Opportunity (SRELO) program.

Creativity: Interwoven In The Curriculum Or An Afterthought?, Amanda Bourne

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Students are identified as gifted and talented based on their abilities, including both academic and creative strengths. This study examined whether teachers foster creativity in their classroom, their perceptions of creativity, and how they incorporate creativity in their classroom. Using a mixed methods convergent parallel design, teachers at a K-8 school in the southeastern United States responded to questions about how they define creativity, how they incorporate creativity into the classroom, and their teaching practices, using the 45-item Creative Fostering Teaching Behaviour Index (CFTIndex). The study found that teachers implement practices in their classrooms that promote creativity, though there are …

Engaging Minds: Assessing The Impact Of Arts-Integration On Science Achievement And Engagement Using Planned Experimentation, Fonda G. Dupre

All Dissertations

Elementary science education is essential for fostering inquiry, critical thinking, and problem-solving, yet it is often reduced or deprioritized due to the pressures of high-stakes testing in reading and mathematics. Despite federal calls for a well-rounded education under the Every Student Succeeds Act (2015), instructional time for science remains limited in many schools, particularly in under-resourced and high-poverty contexts. This reduction of science instruction time exacerbates achievement gaps and limits student engagement and interest in STEM fields.

This planned experiment investigates whether Arts-Integrated science instruction can increase student engagement and improve academic achievement among fourth-grade students at Foothills Academy of …

Debunking Myths: Preparing Black Students Who Are Accelerated Learners For Postsecondary Opportunities, Erik M. Hines, Donna Y. Ford, Renae D. Mayes, Tanya J. Middleton, James L. Moore Iii, Desmond Mcglone

Journal of College Access

Black students are the most underrepresented in Gifted and Talented Education (GATE), Advanced Placement (AP), honors, dual enrollment (DE), and other programs for advanced learners (Ford, 2011, 2013; Hines, 2024; Hines, Fletcher et al., 2022). However, accelerated learners, particularly Black students, are usually seen as individuals who understand their educational trajectory, are more likely to know where they plan to attend college, and quickly know their career choice (Smith & Wood, 2020). Accelerated learners are students who are engaged in advanced coursework or programs such as Gifted and Talented Education (GATE), Advanced Placement (AP), honors, dual enrollment (DE). In this …

Exploring Giftedness And The Gifted Learner In Education And Beyond: An Autoethnographic Study With Critical Friends, Katrina Reynen-Woodward, Penny N. Round Dr, Pearl Subban, Edwin Creely

The Qualitative Report

The concept of giftedness is complex, contested and evolving and may be thus frustratingly challenging to apply in practice. One area of emerging research is understanding the personal experiences of those who identify as gifted in order to better represent the myriad culturally diverse conceptions of giftedness that evolve over a lifetime. In this article, I employ an autoethnographic approach to explore aspects of my adult identity as an atypical learner. This journey unfolds in crafted vignettes that reveal the complexities and multi-dimensionality of my learning and are analysed using Gagné’s Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent (DMGT). As I …

Pre-Service Teachers’ Perceptions Of Creativity In Education, Merve Topak-Jamsran

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the relationship between pre-service teachers’ self-reported creativity and their appreciation for students’ creative characteristics. The researcher replicated Kettler et al.'s (2018) "Teacher Perceptions of Creativity in the Classroom" study of in-service teachers. Specifically, the relationship among pre-service teachers’ creative self-efficacy, self-reported personal creativity, perceived importance of promoting creativity, and their preference for student characteristics in the classroom was investigated. Data were gathered using a web-based questionnaire e-mailed to pre-service teachers in educational preparation programs in a southern U.S. state. The study sample were 92 pre-service teachers who had completed at least one practicum or who were currently …

Ua64/2 The Challenge: Magazine For The Center For Gifted Studies (No. 58 Summer 2025), Elizabeth Joyce Editor

Gifted Studies Publications

Magazine created by and about the WKU Center for Gifted Studies.

Maximizing Limited Resources In Rural Schools: Toward Effective Gifted Programs, Celeste Dc Sodergren

DU Rural Summit Conference Proceedings

Participants will receive knowledge and tools to support the implementation of local norms and universal screening within the boundaries of rural gifted programming. Participants will examine the variables impacting gifted identification and programming in rural school districts, evaluate rural gifted identification scenarios, and will explore ways to adapt universal screening and local norms to their own rural school districts' identification process.

Giftedness In A Post-Secondary Environment: Academic, Social, And Affective Results And Recommendations, Justin Villet

Dissertations

The field of gifted education has been present in America since the early 20th century (Jolly, 2009). After scholars developed a list of gifted characteristics in the 1950s, the concept of giftedness became far more controversial (Terman & Oden, 1959). Over the last 75 years, gifted education in America has gone from a shining star to complete ambiguity, owing partially to politics and partially to decentralized process (Ford, 2013; Gallagher, 2015; Hodges et al., 2018). This study included an examination of the gifted experience from the secondary to post-secondary environments. The researcher examined various qualitative and quantitative secondary data, including …

Excellence Gaps: A State-Based Review Of Policies, Jonathan M. Jennings

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigates how state education policies address excellence gaps among student subgroups in gifted education. Using a multiple case study design, it examines the policy mechanisms, identification practices, and funding models employed across states to promote equity in advanced academic access. Grounded in critical policy analysis, the study highlights systemic disparities perpetuated by inconsistent definitions, underfunding, and limited accountability structures. Findings reveal that while some states adopt promising interventions - such as universal screening and dual enrollment support - many fall short in ensuring sustainable, inclusive practices. This research calls for reform grounded in transparency, comparability, and justice for …

Collaboration Across The Silos: Consultation As A Means For Integrating Services For Twice-Exceptional Learners, Kimberly Bowers Yoshino

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Twice-exceptional (2e) learners are underserved in American schools. As students who demonstrate both giftedness and disabilities, 2e learners maintain profiles that warrant tailored educational services across special and gifted education programs. Yet, these programs are considered institutionally mutually exclusive as legal mandates create de facto isolation — the antithesis of what is recommended for the students’ optimal development. School psychologists have been identified as professionals critically positioned to support 2e learners because of their specialized skill set, namely in consultation. However, little is known about their consultative practices with the educators who serve 2e learners or how they traverse school …

Ph Dependent Structural Characterization Of Ich Ensembles Needed For Catalysis, Kevin C. Prososki

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

No abstract provided.

Do We Really Need A Femininemenon?: The Gendered Context Of Congress And Women’S Representation, Hannah Scholen

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Does the changing gendered context of Congress affect women’s representation? The literature shows that women are more likely than men to prioritize and introduce issues that have a distinct impact on women, such as education and health, and that women’s power as a minority group changes when their numbers grow. With the growing number of women in Congress, it’s crucial to understand how that increase affects Congresswomen. I use the Center for Effective Lawmaking’s Legislative Effective Score methodology, focusing on the education and health Issue Area LES’, and run interaction regressions to study the relationship between gender and legislative effectiveness, …

Hancock/Dana Strategic Analysis Podcast, Ruby P. Lenzen

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Through a series of interviews, part one of the podcast provides a look into the internal and external strategic factors of a mid-size accounting firm, Hancock/Dana. Partners and staff discuss the firm's history, culture, mission, and values, emphasizing the importance of client relationships and internal development through a "one firm" model. They also address the challenges and opportunities presented by industry trends, technology like AI, and competition, highlighting strategies for talent retention, operational efficiency, and client satisfaction. The conversations reveal how the firm aims to maintain a sustainable competitive advantage in the evolving accounting landscape.

Based on my interviews with …

Proposed Civil Design Package For Lincoln Youth Sports Complex, Gracie Kerr, Hayden Wulf, Kiley Pham, Caitlin Keathley

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The following report is a proposal of civil work and an engineering design package for the City of Lincoln to construct a Youth Sports Complex on the vacant lot at 2100 North 1^st Street, Lincoln, Lancaster County, Nebraska. The city has requested five U10 to U14 combination baseball and softball fields, one championship softball field, and one championship baseball field. Additionally, a playground area, concessions building, and designated parking areas have been requested. This design package includes introductory company and project information, a summary of the design request and constraints, three overall design alternatives, discipline-specific engineering designs and recommendations, …

Strategic Audit: Wells Fargo & Company, Nathan Q. Gaughan

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

No abstract provided.

A Strategic Audit Of Hilton Hotels, Audrey E. Krieger

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

This paper provides a comprehensive strategic analysis and audit of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc., a global leader in the hospitality industry. It begins with a historical overview of the company and its positioning within the lodging sector, highlighting major competitors such as Marriott International, Hyatt Hotels Corporation, and Airbnb. A PESTEL analysis explores macro-environmental forces shaping the industry, while Porter’s Five Forces framework assesses competitive pressures and how Hilton utilizes its brand strength, digital infrastructure, and loyalty programs to remain resilient. The paper then examines Hilton’s strategic direction and key objectives, identifying sources of competitive advantage and core resources that …