Examining Effectiveness of Rapid Automatized Naming and Reading Skills in Identifying Gifted Students

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of Rapid Automatized Naming (RAN) and reading skills in distinguishing gifted students from their non-gifted peers. A total of 260 third grade students participated in the study. Of these students, 144 were gifted, while the others were not. As the data collection tools, personal information form, reading text, and the RAN test were used. The RAN test scores (time for naming shapes, colors, numbers, and letters), reading speed, and rate of accuracy in reading were the main variables of the research. In the research, correlational research was used as the method, logistic regression and MANOVA were used for the data analysis. The results of the study showed that all predictive variables (reading rate, reading accuracy, time for naming shapes and time for naming numbers) are significant predictors of giftedness, except for variables related to time for naming letters and colors, and that there was a statistically significant difference between gifted and non-gifted students in terms of the RAN scores regarding all sub-tests and reading variables. According to the research findings, it can be suggested that evidence on time for naming numbers and shapes, reading rate, and accuracy skills can be used as additional supporting components in distinguising gifted students from their non-gifted peers.