Using examples of gifted students in specialized programs, the author discusses the phenomenon called "code switching." Code switching is the name given to the process of alternating between one linguistic code and another. The author learned early on that most gifted students feel different from their nongifted peers, mostly about being…

In this response to Sternberg's article, "ACCEL: A New Model for Identifying the Gifted," we agree that IQ testing may have outlasted its usefulness as an identification tool for gifted students. The field's commitment to an imperfect formula has neglected the evolution of offerings in schools and theoretical underpinnings that are…

In 2018, gifted education has not been formalized in the Irish education system. To better advocate for the needs of high-ability students in Ireland, a survey was distributed to educators across the country (N = 837) regarding gifted education. A majority of respondents indicated their schools had systems in place to identify gifted students.…

Optimal talent development can only occur when high ability students are willing to take opportunities for growth in a domain and are able to persist when presented with challenges that accompany performance or production at the highest levels. This paper proposes the use of Erikson's theory of psychosocial development to provide a framework…

This column offers a perspective on suicidal behavior among gifted students that moves away from a wholly psychological perspective to more of a community-based perspective. This model does not undervalue the role of the field of psychology in explaining suicidal behavior, but speaks instead to the importance of the salient influences of culture,…

While it is true that every generation of children grows up with a different confluence of historical influences than the previous generation, the current generation of students with gifts and talents (SWGT) has matured during a unique time during which they have been immersed within an electronic social network. While some factors that influence…

This column examines the recent political campaign and possible effects on gifted and talented students. Using psychological theories, the author describes ways that adults can interpret the events and model appropriate American values.

After 30 years in the field of gifted education, and, more specifically, 30 years of studying the psychology of gifted students, author Tracy Cross has come to believe that the single greatest threat to the psychological well-being of gifted students is the mismatch between the school's curriculum and the student's needs. Cross argues in…

The paper explores the question of how gifted and talented adolescents experience being gifted in high school. Fifteen subjects were interviewed twice while attending a special summer program in order to answer this general question. The data were analyzed and interpreted using a set of research questions which postulated that the subjects would…

Much like medieval, feudal nations, professional fields such as gifted education can take shape as centralized kingdoms with strong armies controlling their compliant populations and protecting closed borders, or as loose collections of conflict-prone principalities with borders open to invaders. Using an investigative framework borrowed from an…

Social dominance orientation (SDO), right-wing authoritarianism (RWA), and socially desirable responding were examined among a sample of self-identified supporters of gifted education (N = 341), 70% of whom had an official role in gifted education as researchers, teachers, or gifted-talented (G/T) trainers. The sample was primarily female, White,…

This article discusses eight topics on the social and emotional development of gifted children. These issues bring to light some of the current thinking that can be helpful to parents, teachers, and counselors. Understanding what giftedness actually is and is not, how to identify it, moving from an entity model of giftedness to an incremental…

There is a paucity of empirical studies dealing with benefits of gifted programming in mathematics for elementary students. The current study reports on the impact of using cluster grouping and specific curriculum to support gifted learners' math achievement in urban elementary schools. Although the results of Year 3 provide the most compelling…

Metaphors influence one's perceptions and thinking, from fairly inconsequential concepts, to some of the most basic matters. A root metaphor is one that is foundational to other beliefs and conceptions. In this article, the author explores what she believes has become the dominant root metaphor of today's gifted youth. Here, she illustrates some…

For many years Larry Coleman created and ran programs for gifted children, studied the great (and not so great) works in the field of gifted studies, then quietly went about conducting studies that became watermarks in the field. His work on stigma of giftedness, the cognitive map of expertise of a single teacher of gifted children, the importance…