This book provides an opportunity for researchers, professionals, and practitioners working directly with gifted individuals to engage with and examine the concept of underachievement of highly capable and talented individuals from different perspectives. Chapters written by experts in gifted education from diverse backgrounds explore…

The raison d'etre of this paper is to encourage support for our gifted learners so that they have a better chance to emerge as our visionaries, our thinkers, our inventors, and our innovators. For those well in advance of their peers, what we can do as educators to optimize their vision and its application are the concerns of the paper. It urges…

This project involves assessing the knowledge base in the education and rearing of gifted children, by developing a literature review summarizing recommended practices. A rationale for the project is presented, discussing the idea of recommended practices, the state of the knowledge base, methods for providing guidance to researchers, and the…

Comparison of three learning strategies (elaborative interrogation, spontaneous strategy, or repetition control) with 53 high achievers in grades 5 and 6 found that both elaborative interrogation and spontaneous strategy conditions were equally effective and both were superior to the repetition condition. (DB)

This study examined effects of three increasing levels of curriculum compacting on the instructional practices of 470 elementary school teachers with gifted students in regular classes. Teachers were able to eliminate between 24% and 70% of the curriculum across content areas for more capable students but required assistance in designing…

This statewide study of teachers of intellectually gifted students examined teachers' attitudes toward information technology. Participants were 418 teachers of the intellectually gifted in a southeastern state who voluntarily responded to a survey about technology attitudes. Results indicated positive attitudes toward technology, with training in…

The study with 34 gifted fifth-grade students found that a concrete sequential approach to developing visual literacy was more effective than an abstract visualization approach. Subjects either received guided visualization or direct instruction on such art concepts as shape, form, line, color, perspective, variety, and unity. (DB)

This study evaluated the use of guided imagery practice to enhance creative writing with 43 academically gifted students (stratified as either high or low creativity) in grades 3 and 4. Groups receiving the guided imagery practice (regardless of original creativity level) generated more original writing, which contained more sensory descriptions…

A 10-week project conducted with 12 gifted 4th and 5th grade students (10 boys and 2 girls) examined the effectiveness of the Logo computer programming language as a tool for helping students understand some basic principles of physics. Three assumptions were tested: (1) motivated elementary school students can learn both turtle graphics and word…

This paper reports selected findings from a study on Maori children with special abilities to illustrate principles of educating gifted children from minority cultures. Seven suggestions for improving educational services to these children are offered; six are specifically teacher related and the seventh addresses the need for research and the…

These two newsletters of The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented (NRC/GT) present articles concerned with research on the education of gifted and talented students. The articles include: "NRC/GT: Making Decisions and Determining Next Steps" (E. Jean Gubbins); "Free Summer Programs for Talented Teens" (D. Betsy McCoach); "High End…

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…

Systematic observations in 46 third- or fourth-grade classrooms found little differentiation in instructional and curricular practices, grouping arrangements, and verbal interactions for gifted and talented students in regular classrooms. Across 5 subject areas and 92 observation days, the observed students experienced no instructional or…

Discusses the chemistry component of a five-week summer program for talented high school juniors and seniors at the Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Sciences. Describes the chemistry core, lab component, team projects, and program results. (CW)

These two newsletters of The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented (NRC/GT) present articles concerned with research on the education of gifted and talented students. The articles are: "NRC/GT: Research Should Inform Practice" (E. Jean Gubbins); "Building a Bridge: A Combined Effort between Gifted and Bilingual Education" (Valentina…