The dilemma of competition encountered by musically gifted Asian male students: an exploration from the perspective of gifted education

Abstract

Due to the crucial role of competition in advanced performance, musically gifted students are more likely to experience competitive conditions compared with students in regular classes. However, there is a surprising paucity of research on the relationships between competition and musical giftedness. Through a research design of a qualitative multi-case study, this study explored the daily experiences of seven musically gifted Taiwanese adolescent males enrolled in competitive gifted music classes. The data collection activities involved in-depth interviews, document review, observation of participants' musical performances, phone conversations with participants' teachers and parents, and participation in identification and placement meetings. After analyzing the rich data, five competition-related themes emerged, namely, tacit competition in music achievement, utilitarian training, feelings of inadequacy, denial of natural giftedness in most of their classmates, and critical comparisons made by parents and teachers. The findings and implications are discussed with the intent of meeting the educational needs of musically gifted students.

"Let’s all hold hands and cross the line together!": Competition, motivation and gifted learners

“…Structural competition refers to the dynamics of the situation, where intentional competition is about the attitude or personality trait of the individual. There are proven benefits of structural competitions and several researchers have explored the role of these in learning and achievement in general and more specifically (see for example, Bicknell & Riley, 2012;Kao, 2011;Riley & Karnes, 2005, 2009Riley, 2011). However, there has been less research undertaken in relation to intentional competition.…”

“…These have also been described as other-referenced, where the ultimate goal is to win or out-do others, and task-oriented, where the focus is on improving performance (Udvari & Schneider, 2000). The way in which a child is motivated influences their behaviour in competitive situations and their relationships with their peers (Kao, 2011). For example, a child who is motivated towards performance excellence may be more inclined to engage in situations where the opponent or task poses very little challenge, giving them more chance of achieving 'the win'.…”

“…Kao (2011) describes competition as a 'two-edged sword'; in positive terms, it leads to skill development, encourages good work habits and enhances self-concept, amongst other things. On the other hand it can cause stress, increase feelings of inadequacy and teach children to avoid challenge.…”

“…Kao (2011) and Udvari and Schneider (2000) describe competition as either structural or intentional. Structural competition refers to the dynamics of the situation, where intentional competition is about the attitude or personality trait of the individual.…”

“…However, cooperation has traditionally been postulated in literature as 'the opposite' to competition (Udvari & Schneider, 2000) and emphasis has been on competitive or cooperative situations rather than on what motivates individual children. There is more agreement now that there is a fine line between the two (Kao, 2011;Maholtra, 2010). Maholtra (2010) suggests that competitive behaviour might be better understood if the focus is placed less on individual children as specifically competitive or cooperative 'types', and more on the conditions in the school and classroom settings that allow these different motivations to emerge.…”