After nearly a century of development, gifted education has evolved into a complex educational discipline with well thought out pedagogy and research agendas. However, while the number of studies escalates, the field as a whole has been criticized for producing fragmented and piecemeal results. One of the reasons for these shortfalls is that the…

Analyzes critical research and promotional literature on J. Guilford's Structure-of-Intellect (SOI) model as it relates to the cognitive functioning of gifted students, and evaluates implications for identification and programing of gifted students. It is concluded that the promotional literature promises more than it has delivered and that major…

Reviews the current state-of-the-art of research on the gifted. (MLF)

Creativity and the characteristics of the creative personality are explored in an attempt to show both that creativity exists in handicapped children and is a valuable attribute to be developed in these students. Attributes of the creative personality are pointed out, and a model for the identification of creativity is presented. (Author)

The paper examines the nature of giftedness. Part I reviews enduring questions and sources of controversy in the search for the meaning of giftedness, including the purpose for defining giftedness, difficulties with isolating a unitary definition of giftedness, and the distinction between gifted and potentially gifted persons. Part II describes…

The article addresses programing approaches for secondary gifted students used throughout the country. Goals, identification, and programing options are discussed, including types of acceleration, enrichment, special classes, on campus offerings outside the school day, off-campus options, and special schools. (CL)

There has been a considerable expansion in the uses and definitions of giftedness constructs since 1958, when constructs were typically defined in very narrow cognitive terms (such as intelligence test scores). Currently, gifted constructs have a wide variety of definitions which reflect closely-linked processes used for identifying and selecting…

This pamphlet examines the limitations of traditional identification strategies as they are applied to children from minority and nontraditional cultural backgrounds, and then suggests more effective alternatives. Conventional group tests are criticized for not providing a sufficient basis for addressing students' needs with regard to enrichment.…

Suggestions are made for a new paradigm for identifying talent potential in underserved populations. Suggestions focus on dynamic assessment of gifted behaviors within students' own sociocultural contexts, more varied and more authentic assessment, and integrating identification processes with learning opportunities. (Author/PB)

The history of divergent-thinking tests suggests that new approaches to creativity testing are needed. Research has focused on the relation of creativity to insight, divergent problem solving, problem finding, and intelligence. A proposed situational model of creativity defines creativity as a meaningful response to open-problem, open-solution…

This paper offers a model of the nature and development of talents, which views genetic factors as determining potential strengths and setting limits and views abilities, aptitudes, and intelligences emerging as a result of experiences, motivations, and styles. Specific talents are characterized by precocity, creative insight, a functional…