Characteristic centrality in the perceptions of giftedness as a predictor of the pattern of nomination of students for placement in gifted programming.

The purpose of this study was to investigate teachers' theories of giftedness using methods adapted by cognitive psychologists to study theory-based reasoning in categorization. It sought to answer questions about the reasoning behind teachers' nominations of students for gifted programs including: (a) Do elementary school classroom teachers use theory-based reasoning, as described by the causal status effect in classification, when nominating students for gifted programs? (b) Is there consistency in the theories/beliefs about giftedness among teachers with different levels of expertise in gifted education? (c) What is the structure and content of teachers' theories about giftedness? (d) Is there a difference between teachers with varying levels of expertise in gifted education in the structure and content of their theories about giftedness? and (e) What differences exist, if any, between teachers with different levels of expertise in gifted education in their beliefs about culturally diverse characteristics and their judgments of culturally diverse students? Statistical analyses as well as inductive qualitative analyses were used to answer the research questions.

The teachers in this study did not demonstrate theory-based reasoning as described by the causal status effect in categorization research. In general, the teachers in this study focused on traditional characteristics of giftedness and did not tend to include characteristics associated with diverse-gifted students in their theories of giftedness. There were no significant differences between classroom teachers who had completed 12 hours or more of post-baccalaureate study in gifted education and teachers who had completed 0-11 hours of study. However, there was little consistency among the teachers in the structure of their theories of giftedness, suggesting that all elementary-classroom teachers do not define common characteristics of giftedness in the same way.

Recommendations for further research include increased focus on critical analysis of individual teachers' beliefs in university courses and in-services for teachers seeking expertise in gifted education, and continuation of this line of research in order to better model and measure teachers' reasoning processes.

Erin Morris Miller (2006)

University of Virginia

Erin Morris Miller received her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology (Gifted Education Emphasis) from the University of Virginia in 2006. She is currently focusing her time on motherhood while serving as an adjunct professor at James Madison University. Dr. Miller's research interests include implicit beliefs about giftedness and the cognitive development of gifted and creative children. E-mail: [e-mail]