Choosing University-Based Programs: A Model of Parental Decision-Making

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 5:10 pm Four Seasons Ballroom 2-3
  In Roundtable Session: Research on Giftedness, Creativity, and Talent SIG Roundtable: Polices and Practices (Table 4)

Abstract

Drawing broadly from Dai’s (2107) Evolving Complexity Theory (ECT), a developmental model of talent development, I conducted a qualitative exploration of the parental program-seeking process and parental expectations. Data were collected through a series of focus group sessions with parents who were seeking or had already had children who participated in university-based gifted and talented programs. Reported in this brief research report is the unexpected discovery of a decision-making process common across participants for determining how and when to opt for additional programming.

Authors

• Celeste DC Sodergren, University of Connecticut

• Todd Kettler, Baylor University

• Jessica McKamie, Baylor University