Gifted, Streamed and Mixed-Ability Programs for Gifted Students: Impact on Self-Concept, Motivation, and Achievement

Abstract

G ifted and talented (GAT) students in a new regional selective GAT program were compared with GAT students in mixed ability and streamed classes. Outcomes were academic and non-academic self-concepts, motivation orientations, and achievement tests administered at the start and end of the school year. Selective GAT students' gains were not significantly better than comparison GAT student's gains on any outcome. Selective GAT students' scores were significantly more negative for all facets of academic self-concepts, for all but one of the facets of non-academic self-concept, and for four of six motivational orientations, but did not differ from the comparison GAT students on achievement test scores. Comparisons of students in mixed ability and streamed settings were nonsignificant for 16 of 18 outcomes. The results did not support the intended outcomes of the selective GAT program in relation to academic self-concept and motivational orientations but were consistent with previous self-concept theory and research.A major concern facing gifted and talented (GAT) researchers, policy makers, and practitioners is how best to educate GAT students. Debate has focused on whether full-time special programs best meet the needs of GAT students, with educators supporting contradictory positions largely based on philosophical reasons rather than well-established research findings. Some advocate that special GAT programs best meet the needs of these students and therefore foster their full potential through an enriched intellectual environment and curriculum. Others argue that individualised instruction within regular classrooms best meets the needs of GAT students (e.g. Treffinger, 1982).In recent years, Australia has experienced a substantial growth in the numbers of both GAT primary classes and secondary selective schools. This growth reflects strong parental interest in, and political support for, special educational settings for academically able students. Despite this recent support, reference to

The Impact of Grouping Gifted Students on Motivation

“…Perhaps, with a gifted population, this same decline is evident. This decline in mastery orientation for gifted students grouped together in the present study was consistent with findings by other researchers (Craven, Marsh, & Print, 2000). However it must be noted that this research did not explore whether the gifted children were in fact challenged sufficiently or appropriately in these selective class groupings.…”

Academic self-concepts in adolescence: Relations with achievement and ability grouping in schools

“…An analysis in 26 countries found that students in selective schools with high average achievement tend to have lower academic self-concepts than students in non-selective schools (Marsh & Hau, 2003). Students also compare themselves with others in their class (Chapman & Tunmer, 1997;Craven, Marsh, & Print, 2000;Kulik & Kulik, 1982). In schools with streaming, where students are placed into classes according to ability and remain in those classes for most subjects, the class provides a stronger frame of reference than the school (Wong & Watkins, 2001).…”

Big fish in big ponds: A multilevel analysis of test anxiety and achievement in special gifted classes

“…There are very few studies which took the achievement level of the peer reference group as a predictor of individual levels of test anxiety into account. A prominent theoretical approach referring to the effects of the achievement level of the peer reference group on individual experiences of self-concept is the ''big-fish-little-pond effect'' (BFLPE; Marsh, 1987) which has been repeatedly attested to in gifted student populations when comparing gifted students attending special gifted classes with those attending regular classes (e.g., Craven, Marsh, & Print, 2000;Marsh, Chessor, Craven, & Roche, 1995;Zeidner & Schleyer, 1999a).…”