Best Practices for Gifted Students’ Academic and Social-Emotional Growth: A Case Study
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2023
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Abstract
Educators should be aware of efficient instructional strategies for students labeled as gifted to influence academic achievement and social-emotional growth positively. The problem was that a gap existed between achievement and the academic and social-emotional abilities of elementary students labeled as gifted. The purpose of this study was to understand teachers’ perceptions of instructional practices used in the classroom to advance the academic and social-emotional performance of elementary-aged students labeled as gifted in a Northern Georgia school district. The conceptual framework guiding the study encompassed Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences and Joseph Renzulli’s three-ring conception of giftedness theory. Research questions aided in discovering teachers’ perceptions and effective differentiated instruction for gifted students for academic achievement, social-emotional growth, and how the practices affect each to determine the best instructional strategies to improve learning experiences. The study used a descriptive case study design, using 15 elementary educators of the gifted population in a Northern Georgia school district who obtained the gifted endorsement. Open-ended questionnaires and interviews were used for data collection, transcribed, and coded, generating six themes from data analysis. Findings indicated more awareness of academic and less social-emotional strategies, suggesting one reason for the gap between academic achievement and ability. This study supported the exploration of the uses of differentiation of instructional strategies in classrooms and teacher awareness of social-emotional needs to enhance learning in gifted students. The study’s results may provide information to educators on how to help close the gap between academic achievement and ability.
Description
Students labeled as gifted often have a discrepancy between academic achievement and ability (Kaplan, 2022), and instructional strategies to close the gap are critical to serving the needs of cognitively advanced learners (Harshbarger, 2019). The concept of giftedness is theorized as a continual process toward superior cognitive development and the continuous use of high cognitive abilities among the top 10% of students in their age group (Castillo-Hermosilla et al., 2020). Shared characteristics of gifted students include operating on a deeper level of thinking, having advanced aptitude levels, having asynchronous development of social skills, being highly motivated in areas of interest or domain-specific specialties, and needing high levels of success (Akar, 2020).
Furthermore, giftedness is on a broad spectrum and is demonstrated through various unique skills (Councill & Fiedler, 2017). In addition, students labeled as gifted tend to require less time practicing basic skills and, in its place, need opportunities to work at an accelerated pace through multiple modes of problem-based instruction in the curriculum (Eysink et al., 2020). Gifted learners may quickly become disruptive in a one-size-fits-all classroom where repeated practice occurs, causing negative behaviors to manifest due to boredom and the lack of challenging stimuli (Councill & Fiedler, 2017).
In summary, students labeled as gifted possess many different bits of intelligence and need opportunities for multi-modal approaches to learning (Hile et al., 2022). Researching the best instructional strategies for cognitively advanced students' academic and social-emotional performance will enable educators to better serve these students’ needs and enhance learning experiences (Hile et al., 2022; Kaplan, 2022). The background of the problem describes the importance of researching the topic and its usefulness to future educational practices. A rationale for the study's purpose describes the study's benefits, and the significant purpose of the study describes the benefits and significance. Research questions and conceptual framework guide the study and all components. Provided is a list of terms, phrases, and definitions. Assumptions, scope and delimitations, and limitations describe the study and identify restrictions and boundaries of the study.
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