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Gifted students report that they are often perceived differently than nonidentified students (Cross, Coleman, & Stewart, 1993); thus, they employ social coping strategies to manipulate the visibility oftheirgiftedness. The Social Coping Questionnaire (SCQ; Swiatek, 1995) was designed to assess these strategies. This study's purpose was to examine the SCQ'sfactor structure with a sample of600younger (grades 5-7) and older (grades 8-11) gifted boys andgirls in the US. and determine the tenability of the factor structure acrossage and gender groups. Participantsscores were randomly assigned to either exploratoryfactor analysis (EFA) or confirmatoryfactor analysis (CFA). Findingsfrom EFA were tested with CFA. Together, these analyses revealed 6 factors. Factor loading patterns from multigroup analyses indicated differences between age andgender groups, and suggested thatfuture investigations ofgifted students'social coping strategies include careful examination ofthe data fOrfactor structure changes that are unique to the sample. Adolescence is a period of development marked by rapid cognitive advancement. It is this progression that allows individuals to understand their world and themselves in more complex and sophisticated ways (Keating, 2004). Inherent in this development is both a heightened sense of self-awareness and a better understanding ofwhat differentiates oneself from significant others. Advanced intellectual ability is one such differentiating factor. Gifted students have reported that the visibility oftheir advanced intellectual ability in some social contexts can be problematic; some

Gifted adolescents are poised to make important decisions that will determine the trajectory of their futures. A positive self-concept may lead to higher educational and career aspirations, whereas a poorer self-concept may negatively influence choices and outcomes. Research points to self-concept differences among gifted students of different ages (Chan, 2001) and genders (Hoge & McShreffrey, 1991; Li, 1988), with declining self-concept among females over time. The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which self-concept differed among gifted students across grade and gender. Two hundred and sixty older adolescents (grades 8 to 11, n = 159 girls) completed the Self-Perception Profile for Adolescents (Harter, 1988) and 300 younger adolescents (grades 5 to 7, n = 171 girls) completed the Self-Perception Profile for Children (Harter, 1985). Results indicate that gifted students' scores in several self-concept domains were lower for older adolescents and girls, but remained relatively high across grade and gender for scholastic self-concept.

Background of the StudyDuring adolescence, individuals undergo a series of critical changes that allow them to understand their world, and themselves, in more complex and sophisticated ways (Keating, 2004). The cognitive advancements that typically occur during this time, such as the development of deductive reasoning and the improved ability to think abstractly and metacognitively, are related to both a heightened sense of self-awareness, a better understanding of what makes one unique, and the development In certain contexts, some academically advanced students employ coping strategies that manipulate the visibility of their ability. These strategies may include denying giftedness, hiding giftedness, gaining favor by helping others, denying the negative impact on peer acceptance, conforming to mask giftedness, and minimizing focus on popularity. The goal of the current study was to replicate previous research that revealed gender and age differences in coping strategy choice. The analysis of responses from approximately 0 students at a summer camp for academically advanced students revealed more similarities than differences among the subgroups of participants. As in previous research, girls were somewhat more likely than boys to engage in the stereotypically female role of helping others. In addition, older adolescents were significantly more likely than younger students to report hiding and denying