Negative stereotypes about intellectually gifted individuals prevail among teachers and in society although empirical research has debunked them. They are also dominant in mass media representations of gifted individuals such as newspaper reports. The present study investigated whether stereotypic representations in newspaper articles contribute…

Results of questionnaires administered to 295 gifted and talented students (9-15 years old) suggested that their stereotypes regarding gifted and talented students were highly positive. Students reported that giftedness can be attained by hard work, that they are not very different from others, and that others treat them well. (Author/CL)

The author examines problems and strengths in current research on labeling of gifted children and offers suggestions designed to broaden the scope of such research to include aspects of self-concept, teacher expectancy and effects of labeling on children, families, peers, and school personnel. (CL)

Affective traits (persistence, independence, and self-concept) are examined according to their relationship to giftedness. The author then poses questions regarding the affective results of labeling students gifted and cites problems with matching students' learning styles with their environments. (CL)

When students (N=38), labeled as gifted for at least five years, their parents (N=53), and siblings (N=28) completed an attitude scale, results indicated that non-labeled siblings came to terms with the label. The gifted child was less certain about the positive feelings of siblings and parents regarding the label. (Author/CB)

Approximately 500 students in special programs for the gifted were surveyed regarding their attitudes toward the programs and especially toward their identification as gifted. (DLS)

The study of 482 parents of children in a program for the gifted found that although 90 percent of the parents thought of their children as gifted, approximately 25-30 percent refrained from using the term. Children whose parents used the term were consistently less well adjusted on both self-report and peer-report measures. (Author/DB)

An educator of the gifted reflects on issues equally relevant to gifted students and their teachers including being stifled by misconceptions about giftedness, spending more time reflecting on future efforts than on current achievements, and awkwardness about using the term "gifted" in relation to self. (DB)

Expansion of previous research on adolescents' attitudes toward their giftedness involved development of an open-ended questionnaire which was administered to 144 gifted and talented students (ages 15 and 16) in Texas. Results showed that views of the gifted label and its effects are multifaceted, and gifted adolescents are realizing positive and…

Teachers of gifted children read a descriptive vignette of a hypothetical gifted student and rated their willingness to refer the student for gifted program placement. Results showed that the 197 teachers were influenced by the presence of the educational label "learning disabled" and by the social class of the student. (Author/JDD)

The perceptions of 175 gifted education teachers and 147 middle-school teachers concerning gifted education needs were compared. Gifted educators disagreed with proponents of cooperative learning concerning student needs and disagreed with middle-school educators on the value of ability grouping and the social consequences of being labeled gifted.…