Identifying potential abilities of children and youth is important, but often too little effort goes into conceptualizing how to enhance and support domain specific talent once it has been recognized. This article provides a research base for exploring this problem, leading to some grounding definitions, insights from experts on dimensions of…

Who, rather than what, decides what giftedness is? The academic world traditionally focuses on theoretical descriptors whereas society as a whole is more interested in practical function. This partly divided focus is becoming increasingly critical and problematic as economies are becoming global and the political objective is to create a knowledge…

The small-scale study reported here sought to ascertain the experiences of talented undergraduate students across four faculties within one university in New Zealand. Thirty-eight undergraduate participants from the four faculties were identified by 16 staff participants based on criteria used by the academic staff in their respective faculty,…

Gifted education is leading an interdisciplinary paradigm shift moving education out of its historic role of entrenching systemic inequities. It is a crucible for pioneering investigations of optimal human development and provides a vehicle for increasing social equity. We review changing conceptions of intelligence, motivation and creativity, and…

The issue of underrepresentation in gifted and talented (GT) programs has developed into a critical educational concern. At the core are ambiguous identification assessment practices, especially for bilingual students. To illustrate, this article reports data from the last decade that supports the underrepresentation of gifted Hispanic bilingual…

The purpose of this article is to provide the reader with a comprehensive yet detailed account of the current giftedness and gifted education situation in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. It is concerned with four main research questions: (1) How is "giftedness" defined in German-speaking countries? (2) How are gifted children…

The purpose of this document is to establish the minimum standards for approval of programs which meet the requirements of the Standards of Accreditation adopted by the State Board of Education February 22, 1984, and have been effective since June 1, 1987. Included are guidelines, which enable school districts to: (1) Establish equitable criteria…

A model is presented that views gifted individuals as being process oriented, creative individuals as product oriented, and talented individuals as performance oriented. Approaches to acting that differ based on elements of giftedness, creativity, talent, and combinations thereof are explored. (JDD)

Criticizes Morelock's (1996) attempt at differentiating giftedness from talent, in part because it chooses precocious development instead of outstanding human abilities as the essence of giftedness and endorses the "talent for all" ideology. Gagne's Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent is presented as a more logical approach. (Author/CR)

This response to a critique by Francoys Gagne defends the Columbus Group definition of differentiating giftedness and talent. Concepts addressed include qualitative versus quantitative differences, generalizability of the gifted definition, intensity, precocious development, vulnerability of the moderately gifted, moral superiority, and gifted…

This rejoinder to Morelock's response to criticism of the Columbus Group definition of giftedness and talent addresses continuing concerns and defends the Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent. Giftedness is described as encompassing natural abilities and is distinct from the "talent potential" definition that is offered by Morelock. (CR)

This rejoinder to criticism of a previous article defends the Columbus Group definition of giftedness and talent by comparing and contrasting this definition with Gagne's Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent. Thresholds of giftedness and talent, including generalizability and clinical experience that support the Columbus Group definition,…

After reviewing old definitions of giftedness and research dealing with characteristics of the gifted, the author presents a definition that focuses on three clusters of traits--above average general ability, high level of task commitment, and high level of creativity. (IRT)

This paper reviews literature-based giftedness definitions which have evolved as different manifestations of giftedness have been recognized. Various fields of giftedness are outlined, including mental, creative, specific academic, psychosocial (leadership), performing arts, kinesthetic (athletic), manipulative skills, and…

Variability of prevalence data for the category of gifted and talented is examined, with respect to two alternative explanations: (1) definitional differences; and (2) differences in the application of definitions. Analysis of state definitions of giftedness and guidelines for student identification found this category to be no less, if not more,…