Journal for the Education of the Gifted
Winter 2000, Volume 23, Number 2

World-View Entrapment: Moral-Ethical Implications for Gifted Education
Don Ambrose

Root-metaphorical world views strongly shape our thoughts and actions at the implicit level. The mechanistic world view provided the conceptual foundations for unprecedented technological progress throughout the modern era; however, its basic tenets have serious moral-ethical implications. Sociopolitical trends and issues reinforced by this world view include technological determinism, social Darwinism, and androcentrism. Educational practices reinforced by mechanism include positivistic approaches to curriculum, instruction, and research. The moral-ethical implications of these trends and practices are explored, along with recommendations for developing awareness of root-metaphorical influences on the field of gifted education.

Optimal Motivation for Talent Development
Dan W. Rea

The main goal of this paper is to conceptualize a theory of optimal motivation for talent development. According to this theory, a lack of motivation can seriously undermine talent development. Optimal motivation is necessary for the full development of talent. Optimal motivation is described as a “flow” experience in which students become so absorbed in a task that they lose track of time and their efforts seem “effortless.” A generalized expectancy-value theory is used to analyze 3 ideal conditions under which students are most likely to experience flow: (a) optimal challenge, (b) undivided interest, and (c) optimal arousal. These conditions are further analyzed by reversal theory to show how each is composed of two complementary motivational processes: (a) “serious-minded” process and (b) “fun-minded” process. The balanced interaction of these two processes creates the optimal motivation of “serious fun” (Rea, 1995, p. 22). With serious fun, students are able to sustain high levels of talent development without burnout or dropout.

Effects of an Attribution Retraining With Female Students Gifted in Physics
Albert Ziegler & Kurt A. Heller

Girls and women who are highly talented in physics rarely utilize their talent potential in this area. Despite the immense attention recently accorded this problem, no convincing intervention concepts capable of dismantling this dissatisfying situation have been presented. In this study, an attribution retraining program will be proposed as a way to help female students. Attribution retraining programs have proved their worth in clinical settings, although their implementation in natural settings is, for various reasons, quite difficult. Initially, the theoretical foundations of a training program will be presented and then be tested on female students who display a talent for physics. The training was conducted with 164 such students who were in the 8th grade and attending physics courses for the first time. The training significantly improved performances in physics. In addition, it had favorable effects on the motivation sets and self-related cognitions of the girls in the training program.

An Evaluation of the Implementation of Curriculum Innovation: The Impact of the William and Mary Units on Schools
Joyce VanTassel-Baska, Linda D. Avery, Catherine Little, & Claire Hughes

This evaluation study of a curriculum innovation provides a close-up view of two school sites after 3 years of implementing the William and Mary curriculum units. Case study methodology was employed by using multiple data sources, including interview, focus group, document-content analysis, and classroom observation to assess contextual perceptions of impact and institutionalization of the innovation. Findings suggested that the innovation was viewed positively by relevant groups, that the innovation had been integrated into district policies, and that within-system diffusion efforts were underway. However, full implementation of the innovation was hampered by lack of use of the performance-based assessment tasks for improving instruction and for reporting student-learning gains. The study concluded that 3 years of implementation may be insufficient to impact the total school culture.