Teachers’ Implicit Theories About Gifted Children and Youth

• In Event: Roundtable Session 84
  In Roundtable Session: Professional Practice in Gifted Education: Examining the Work and Perspectives of Educators

Abstract

Teachers' implicit theories about the gifted impact their attitudes and behavior towards children they perceive as such. Do teachers hold an overall positive view (harmony hypothesis), or do they see gifted students as intellectually strong, but also emotionally unstable and socially inferior (disharmony hypothesis)? In the present study, 246 teachers rated fictitious students varying in gender, age, and ability (between-subjects design) on 65 giftedness-specific and 40 personality items. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses revealed three reliable factors to underly the giftedness-specific questionnaire: intellect/achievement, antisocial behavior, and creativity. Gifted students were considered superior in intellect/achievement and creativity, but also more antisocial, thus favoring the disharmony hypothesis. Implications for theory and educational practice are discussed.

Authors

• Franzis Preckel, University of Trier

• Tanja Gabriele Baudson, University of Trier