Cognitive and Affective Learning Outcomes of Gifted Elementary School Students

Abstract

This project was a 2-year investigation of elementary school children placed in programs for high-ability learners. The primary purpose of the study was to investigate academic and affective changes in students during their first 2 years in a gifted program. Students were assessed during the fall of one year and the spring of the next year. Subjects were from 14 different school districts in 10 states and included African American and Caucasian/ non-Hispanic students. The study compared students enrolled in gifted programs (special school, separate class, pullout, within-class), high-achieving students from districts in which no program was available at the designated grade levels, and nongifted students in regular classrooms. This project focused on academic and affective student outcomes through multiple administrations of an achievement test, a self-perception survey, and a motivation inventory. In addition to comparing programs in general, an important dimension of the project was to examine characteristics of students from traditionally underserved populations. This was accomplished by including the variables of racial/ ethnic status and the social status of participants. Results revealed that there were differences in cognitive and affective outcomes across program types. Therefore, it is strongly advised that educators conduct ongoing evaluations of their programs to be better able to monitor and address all students' needs.Putting the Research to Use: The main purpose of this study was to improve our understanding of the cognitive and affective outcomes of students in gifted programs, rather than to ascertain which program was "best." Results showed that no single program fully addressed all the psychological and emotional needs of gifted students. In terms of achievement, gifted children attending special programs performed better than high-achieving peers who were not in programs. Specifically, children in special schools, separate class programs, and pullout programs for the gifted showed substantially higher levels of achievement than did both their high-achieving peers not in programs and those attending within-class programs. Policy makers should know that students from within-class grouping arrangements received the lowest scores in all areas of achievement. Given that within-class programs are a popular model in gifted education, their curricular and instructional provisions for the gifted must be carefully maintained lest they disintegrate into a no-program format. In addition, there were no differences between any groups in the study regarding their social perspectives. These elementary school students felt comfortable with the numbers of friends they had and with their own popularity. The type of grouping arrangement did not appear to influence student perceptions of their social relations, whether they were gifted, high-achieving, or nongifted. Self-perceptions were relatively low, however, for at least one group. Students from the separate class program scored at the highest levels of achieve...

Examining the Effects of Gifted Programming in Mathematics and Reading Using the ECLS-K

“…In fact, in their comparison of program types, Delcourt et al (2007) found that pullout programs, special classes, and special schools resulted in consistently higher achievement compared with within-class programs, indicating that different types of programs have differing effects. This is an indication of how diverse gifted programming is.…”

Panorama brasileiro do atendimento ao aluno superdotado

“…Crianças superdotadas também aprendem melhor em classes especiais, com colegas que compartilham os mesmos interesses ou capacidades intelectuais. Nesse sentido, programas especializados são indicados para suprir tais lacunas na educação desse grupo (Coleman & Cross, 2005;Delcourt et al, 2007;Eddles-Hirsch et al, 2010;Gross, 2004;Robinson et al, 2007). Nevo e Rachmel (2009) afirmam que não há um modelo único, uma combinação comum para todos os programas de educação de superdotados.…”

Características e avaliação de programas brasileiros de atendimento educacional ao superdotado

“…Crianças superdotadas também aprendem melhor em classes especiais, com colegas que compartilham os mesmos interesses ou capacidades intelectuais. Nesse sentido, os programas especiais são indicados para suprir tais lacunas na educação desse grupo (Coleman & Cross, 2005;Delcourt et al, 2007;Eddles-Hirsch et al, 2010;Gross, 2004;Robinson et al, 2007). oferecer oportunidades para que esses indivíduos participem de experiências de investigações guiadas, individuais ou em pequenos grupos, utilizando diversos recursos humanos, materiais e técnicos; (c) encorajar o desenvolvimento do autoconceito, tolerância para consigo e para os outros, bem como promover o comprometimento com a tarefa; (d) ampliar o repertório cultural dos alunos, desenvolver abertura para novas experiências, expô-los às artes, estimular e desenvolver o potencial para a criatividade; (e) proporcionar oportunidades ao superdotado para a produção e avaliação de produtos em áreas de interesses pessoais; (f) motivar os participantes do programa a aplicarem os princípios do pensamento divergente e convergente; (g) oferecer recursos para professores de salas de aulas regulares e ajudá-los a desenvolver atividades de enriquecimento para os demais alunos.…”

“…Atendem crianças e adolescentes em vários campos do conhecimento ou em um domínio específico, como exemplo, matemática, tecnologia e artes. O conteúdo de ensino pode ser desenvolvido em profundidade e complexidade, bem como em ritmo mais avançado (Delcourt et al, 2007;Robinson et al, 2007). No entanto, pesquisadores recomendam que esses programas tenham articulação com as atividades do ensino regular (Matthews & Kitchen, 2007;Renzulli, 2011, VanTassel-Baska, 2009).…”