Mark Runco is the Torrance Professor of Creative Studies and Gifted Education at the University of Georgia. He is also the Director of the Torrance Center, and is the founder and editor of the "Creativity Research Journal." His other editorial work includes the "Creativity" book series and the "Encyclopedia of Creativity." This article presents an…

Gifted students can perform a variety of roles in groups, and it is important for career choice and satisfaction that the role chosen be a natural one. Gifted students may function best and contribute most in the role of exemplar or eccentric rather than in more traditionally conceived leadership roles. (CL)

Many obstacles inhibit women from realizing their leadership potential: confusion about giftedness, psychological and cultural barriers to owning and displaying one's abilities, and ambivalent attitudes toward exceptional ability in women. Encourages feminist psychologists to respond to gifted women's unique affective needs, and focuses on…

The role of the school psychologist in gifted education can include developing identification procedures, describing behavioral characteristics, and educating parents. (Author)

Suggests that gifted students often face mixed messages based on others' beliefs about giftedness. Identifies patterns of coping behaviors against the backdrop of such messages along a continuum which ranges from not identifying with other gifted students, blending in with the general student population, or embracing the stereotypical gifted…

This study of 197 eminent Canadian women on the dynamics of their childhood families, investigated their perceptions of having a special status or role. Over three-quarters indicated they were considered special within their families. They attributed it to their birth order, scholastic achievement, condition of health, or display of talents.…

The need to verify the competencies purported to be developed by individuals completing a program designed to prepare supervisors of special education led to surveying 29 Pennsylvania Directors of Special Education who were asked to rate successful first year supervisors of special education on 40 competencies. Results indicated the eight roles…

The relationship between role-taking ability and prosocial behaviors was studied developmentally with 20 gifted 3-year-olds. The relationship between IQ and role taking increased from fall to spring; however, neither IQ nor role-taking ability were found to be reliable predictors of prosocial behaviors in the spring, suggesting that psychosocial…

The opinions of gifted female students at an academically challenging southern high school concerning how women, especially southern women, are portrayed on television were solicited. The girls were guided in examining assumptions, identifying role models, and rejecting the stereotype of the southern woman. (DB)

Discussed are the effects of sexist cultural norms and stereotypes that cause gifted girls to believe they must choose between femininity and intellectual achievement. (LH)

This paper offers educators of gifted students 10 recommendations for encouraging change in the context of the movement for educational restructuring and reform. These include setting high learning standards and expectations for all students, structuring new roles for gifted education personnel, and integrating gifted education with general…

This article explores the impact of internal barriers, priorities, and personal decisions on the realization of the potential of gifted females. Dilemmas relating to family, fear of success, the development of resilience, multi-potentiality, absence of planning, confusion about effort and ability, perfectionism, unreal expectations, and loneliness…

This intergenerational study focused upon obstacles confronting three gifted women in three generations in the same family. Obstacles included providing for basic needs of family, children, work, and others; the role of personal satisfaction as a quality of life; and the ability to accommodate wants, needs, and expectations of others. (Author/CR)