Characteristics of gifted and talented learners: Similarities and differences across domains
Chapter
Overview
Overview
Abstract
A century ago, Lewis Terman used IQ tests to identify 1,000 gifted students for participation in a longitudinal study using scores on the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale (Davis and Rimm, 1998) that ostensibly provided a clearly defined line between students who were gifted and those who were not. Terman’s belief that an IQ score of 135 or higher was synonymous with giftedness set a precedent in the identification of gifted students, and started a movement that continues to affect students’ placement in gifted programs decades later. Current researchers continue to debate which measures to use, but often need clear and quantifiable methods to define individuals as gifted or not. In a review of published articles of research in gifted journals for a period of one year, Tannenbaum (2000), found that in one well-respected journal, all reports listed IQ, using similar or alternate tests that correlate highly with IQ, as the selected measure for identifying gifted individuals. It is understandable in research on gifted students that a clear method for identification must exist, but when considering ways to identify students as gifted and to identify the characteristics of these students, the line is not always so clear. This chapter will discuss how conceptions of giftedness interact with characteristics of giftedness, and introduce the federal definition of gifted individuals, which will be used as a basis for the discussion of the characteristics of gifted and talented students.
