High ability and talent development literature present different and sometimes competing or contradictory goals for talent development. One side emphasizes that talents should be developed to enable individuals with high abilities to make societal contributions, while the other side focuses on the individual's personal life goals. This article…

This article discusses kinds of transformational giftedness, or giftedness that makes a positive, meaningful, and possibly enduring difference to the world. We extend previous work by suggesting that there are two kinds of transformation that matter: self-transformation and other-transformation. Combining these two kinds of transformation yields a…

Over the past century, strong applications of psychometrics have resulted in an ideology and practices of identification in the field of gifted education. In recent years, an alternative ideology that construes giftedness in an inclusive light and promotes democratic practices has emerged. This ideology posits a new meaning-making system of…

This column examines the recent political campaign and possible effects on gifted and talented students. Using psychological theories, the author describes ways that adults can interpret the events and model appropriate American values.

A mixed-methods design was employed to identify the cognitive processes that lead to occupational/career indecision for economically disadvantaged adolescents of high intellectual ability. In the first phase, interview data collected from 26 economically disadvantaged intellectually gifted Australian adolescents were analyzed using grounded theory…

This case study provides an explanatory account on the underachievement of three gifted students studying physics in a Taiwanese university. The students' physics underachievement was diagnosed by Sato's student-problem analysis chart. These students were invited to complete a questionnaire and a follow-up interview in order to (1) understand the…

Research shows that carefully planned acceleration offers academic benefits with little social or emotional risk to high-ability learners. However, acceleration is underutilized and little is known about students' motivations to accelerate. In this study, 21 high-ability high school students in Grades 11 and 12 took part in a structured…

The lives of ten eminent Australian women across seven talent domains were explored for factors that contributed to the development of their talent. Nine themes and related sub-themes emerged that were linked to the Model of Adult Female Talent Development (MAFTD) developed by Noble, Subotnik & Arnold (1996, 1999). Results provided support for…

Twenty-two self-awareness activities designed to discover more about the internalized adult, parent, and child within each gifted student are presented. Among activities listed are planning to have more time for things one enjoys doing, recalling past feelings and becoming aware of current feelings, and thinking about future occupations. (CL)

The author describes the resurgence of the gifted education movement and explains an enrichment curriculum he developed to promote self-development, rational thinking, and ethical awareness in gifted students. (CL)

Models of giftedness are not versions of the way the world is, but programmes for improving the world. They uphold visions of the good life, good society, and worthy character. They are vehicles for values. Sternberg acknowledges this in his conclusion: "The important thing is to work together toward a common good--toward devising the best ways to…

The author considers how gifted students act when they achieve a peak experience or self-actualization, with particular emphasis on the role which parents play. (SB)

The article reviews some of the conditions that might counteract decline in the intellectual development of gifted children and adolescents. (DLS)

Nineteen gifted and 11 nongifted ninth graders participated in a curriculum based on a futures perspective, self actualization, and futuring competencies. Results of pre- and posttest comparisons with control groups on measures of locus of control, self actualization, and futures perspective revealed nonsignificant, but positive, changes. (CL)

Considers reasons gifted girls fail to reach their potential, pointing to extraordinarily good social adjustment as a factor in their tendency to underplay their talents and lose sight of their academic goals. Suggests ways in which teachers, parents, and counselors can provide guidance for gifted girls at particular education levels. (DMM)