26:T50a,

We employed a mixed methods research design using survey data to examine gifted students’ perceptions of implicit theories of intelligence, giftedness, need for cognition, and goal orientations. Eighty-one gifted middle-school students completed the Mindset Assessment Profile (MAP) plus open-ended questions concerning giftedness, expectations, challenges, and personal goals. Results indicated that giftedness and intelligence were viewed as somewhat related (r = .19, r = .31), but gifted students also perceived giftedness as less malleable than intelligence (g = −.39) on some MAP items. Many perceived both intelligence and giftedness as malleable constructs that could develop through effort and opportunity. The majority expressed preference for making a good grade rather than being challenged, though many also reported a need for cognition, supported by participation in gifted programming. Participants not only provided positive connotations of giftedness, understanding its connection to challenging curricular opportunities, but also conveyed limited descriptors of giftedness such as “being smart,” providing a need to communicate domain-specific giftedness from a talent development perspective.

27:T450,

This study aimed to develop and validate a scale of parental competency of science-gifted students in South Korea. The parental competency of science-gifted students is constructed in three dimensions (Learner, Fosterer, Scientist) from the literature review. We in-depth-interviewed science-gifted students and parents to discover the competency behavior indicators. To confirm the content validity, 15 experts in Korea conducted a Delphi method. We were determined lifelong learning, information utilization as the sub-elements of learner, partnership, parenting attitude, empathy of fosterer, and science capability, responsibility in science, and career preparation of scientist. As a result, we developed the initial instrument with 45 items. To validate the instrument, we carried out an online survey with 512 parents. Finally, 23 items of the measurement instrument for parental competency underwent development with three dimensions and eight sub-dimensions. This study provides a reliable instrument for parental competency and contributes to its enhancement for science-gifted students.

28:T441,

Past research has indicated that teachers’ use of relational power directly influences students’ sense of empowerment and that students who feel empowered are more likely to be motivated. This phenomenological, retrospective study investigated gifted high school students’ perceptions of power and empowerment within their classrooms and the relationship of these to motivation. Specifically, I explored the impact of different power dynamics, including teachers’ utilization of various relational power bases (i.e., reward, coercive, legitimate, referent, expert) on gifted high school students’ sense of empowerment and motivation to engage in learning. The students in this study described experiences with all of the social power bases; however, the most positively impactful of these were referent power and expert power. Students felt most empowered when they could personally connect with teachers who knew how to teach, who were content experts, and who could manage the classroom to ensure learning could happen for all students.