Attribution retraining was conducted with 82 German 8th grade girls as part of feedback provided by trained teachers in the students' first physics course. In comparison with controls, attribution retraining significantly improved students' performance in physics. Training also had favorable effects on the motivation sets and self-related…

Comparison of differences between the top 5% of ninth- (n=1942) and twelfth-grade (n=2277) students in science achievement and remaining students found that far more high achievers were male, typically came from small families, and had parents with more formal education (often in the sciences). High achievers typically preferred questioning over…

This study examined the problem-solving protocols of 21 students in a grade 11 enriched physics course as well as 3 adult "experts" in physics. Experts and high performing students made more correct metastatements and more references to prior knowledge than did average performing students. (DB)

Evaluation of the relationship between metacognition and analogical reasoning in 80 children (mildly retarded, learning disabled, normal achieving, and gifted) suggests that retarded children's performance reflected a central processing deficiency across processes, learning-disabled children's performance reflected specific processing…

Although the sources and effects of sex role stereotyping on personal, vocational, and cultural aspects of society have been documented, little research has focused on strategies for changing stereotypic views. To investigate the effectiveness of a short, intense teaching session on sex role attitudes, 51 gifted ninth and tenth grade students…

A program evaluation was conducted of a summer program for academically gifted students in 5th through 10th grades. The purpose of this study was to evaluate discrepancies and congruencies among program teachers, counselors, and students in perceptions of program goal emphasis. The evaluation instrument used was a rating form composed of 60 goal…

This paper was prepared as an introduction to the proceedings of a 1988 Conference on Academic Talent. The paper summarizes current National Science Foundation (NSF) policy in regard to the development of new science and mathematics curricula and describes the work of the Duke University Talent Identification Program in its efforts to reach and…

Neither parental attitudes nor perception of mathematics as a male domain appear to account for sex differences in mathematics achievement on the SAT for gifted and above-average junior high school students. (MNS)

Results from a meta-analysis of 26 controlled studies on the effects of accelerated instruction on elementary and secondary school students are presented. The examination performance of accelerates surpassed the performance of equivalent age and intelligence nonaccelerates and equalled the performance of same-grade but older, talented…

Mothers (n=547) and fathers (n=547) of academically talented sixth grade students completed a questionnaire assessing parents' definition of academic success. Internal or external conceptions of success were related to parents' education level, gender, and ethnic group. Parents likely to emphasize internal standards were those without a doctorate,…

Ethnically diverse fifth through seventh grade children (N=805) were evaluated for intellectual ability, locus of control, and the presence of vulnerability factors. Overall, higher internal locus of control was associated with female Caucasians not at risk. Results suggest that for intellectually bright non-Caucasians vulnerability is associated…

Reports on a study of the possession and use of toys among 151 gifted and 135 average German elementary students. Finds that only the use of toys typical for boys displayed a mildly significant effect for giftedness. Also finds both groups exhibited gender-specific toy possession and toy use to an equal degree. (CFR)

This article describes the Munich Longitudinal Study of Giftedness (initially including about 25,000 students) and concludes that, although the multidimensional model proved to be useful in predicting achievement behavior, the typological attempts failed. Distinct differences between academically gifted and creatively gifted students were found.…

Although gifted children have been the subject of investigation for 60 years, little information is available on gifted adults, particularly in regard to life satisfaction. To investigate life satisfaction in adults who as children were labeled as gifted, 298 adults, with a mean age of 27, completed a Likert-type instrument measuring degree of…

Reports on a study of 295 academically gifted students enrolled in four midwestern community colleges. Considers student demographics, high school background, perceptions of quality of instruction, and involvement in honors programs. Discusses implications for practice. (DMM)