=-3.850, p<.001, d=.62 and self-regulation, t(154)=-3.113, p=.002, d=.50. Finally, results of a path analysis call into question several of the relationships specified by the model. In particular, task meaningfulness only predicted student engagement and was not significantly related to self-regulation or student achievement. The findings of this study suggest the Achievement-Orientation Model may hold promise for the development of interventions to address gifted underachievement; however, future research should be conducted to continue work toward validating the model before this step is taken.iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Underachievement often begins in middle school for gifted students. Unfortunately, there is no single intervention that will ameliorate underachievement for all gifted students. To date, interventions aimed at reversing the underachieving behaviors of gifted middle school students have been inconsistent and inconclusive. To create an effective plan to reverse gifted underachievement, the field of gifted education must look closely at the research-based practices of special education. Functional Behavioral Analysis (FBA) is a viable way to accomplish this task. A team of individuals invested in the student’s success first target the source(s) of the student’s underachieving behavior, and then, together, they develop an individualized intervention plan. Although there is no magical cure for underachievement, steps can be taken to help middle school gifted students become achievers. This article will explore who the middle school gifted underachiever is and why he or she may begin to underachieve, review interventions that have been researched for this population, and provide a step-by-step plan for the reversal of gifted underachievement at the middle school level.
This study investigated the impact of training and coaching parents to use a higher level questioning strategy during shared reading time at home on the expressive language complexity of their young twice-exceptional children. Four parents were trained and coached to use higher level questions, based on the revised Bloom’s taxonomy, with their children in home settings during a shared reading routine. A single-case, multiple-probe design across participants was used to examine the parents’ ability to learn and implement the higher level questioning strategy during shared reading with their children and the impact this had on the complexity of their children’s expressive language. Results indicated that all parents were able to learn and implement the strategy, and the complexity of each child’s responses increased. Additionally, these findings were maintained over time and demonstrated that single-case research can be used with gifted student populations to establish causal relationships between interventions and meaningful outcomes.
High achieving students or “bright children” are often denied access to gifted services because they do not meet “gifted” criteria. Although psychosocial factors play an integral role in academic success, and can be useful in providing a clearer picture of student need, they are seldom considered in the decision to identify a student for gifted services. This study compared identified gifted students and non-identified high achieving students on their self-perceptions of several psychosocial factors to provide additional evidence that gifted services, depending on the framework and content of these services, may be appropriate for non-identified high achieving students as well. Results indicated that non-identified high achieving students’ psychosocial self-perceptions, as measured by the School Attitude Assessment Survey–Revised (SAAS-R) Subscales, were comparable with the identified gifted students, suggesting that the high achieving students could have benefited from the gifted services their school offered.
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