Harmony in the United States, Disharmony in Germany? Teachers’ Implicit Personality Theories of Highly Able Students

• In Event: Gifted, Creative, and Talented Students From Multicultural/International Populations

Abstract

Teachers’ implicit theories about the gifted can impact these children’s educational trajectories. However, such views may depend on cultural and educational contexts. In the US, gifted identification and programming have a long-standing tradition, which may translate into a “normalization” of giftedness. In Germany, the Third Reich interrupted a growing research tradition, which was not rediscovered until the 1980s. We examined whether teachers’ personality ratings of fictitious students differ between the two countries. US teachers rated gifted and average-ability students similarly on extraversion, emotional stability, and agreeableness and higher on openness; German teachers’ view is clearly in line with the disharmony hypothesis. However, analyses of 4-way interactions reveal a more complex pattern, underlining the importance of age and gender.

Authors

• Tanja Gabriele Baudson, University of Trier

• Franzis Preckel, University of Trier

• Anastasiya A. Lipnevich, Queens College - CUNY