Talent Development Among Precocious Youth From Traditionally Underrepresented Groups

• In Event: Closer Examination of Giftedness, Creativity, and Talent Through Focused Lenses

Abstract

The field of gifted education has experienced a paradigm shift resulting in a broadened conception of giftedness. This broadened conception of giftedness has impacted many aspects of the field—making talent development its central metaphor. Despite the emergence of the talent development paradigm, relatively little empirical research exists on the talent development process, particularly among people from traditionally underrepresented groups. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to gain a better understanding about how academic talent is nurtured and developed among people from traditionally underrepresented groups who demonstrated outstanding reasoning abilities at a young age. How do these individuals, who are now adults, reflect on their educational, social, and emotional experiences as facilitators or barriers to their academic talent development?

Author

• Valija C. Rose, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University