Journal for the Education of the Gifted
Spring 2000, Volume 23, Number 3

Gifted European American Women
Margie K. Kitano & Carol O. Perkins

This article describes factors affecting the achievement of 15 highly accomplished European American women in the fields of business, higher education, and law and government. Participants were nominated as gifted by national professional organizations in their respective fields. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews of the gifted women and telephone interviews with a parent or other relative. Research questions addressed childhood characteristics, contributions of major socializing agents, roles of social or institutional factors, and achievement strategies from a cultural-ecological perspective that examines these factors within participants’ own and the dominant culture. Results corroborated findings of previous research on gifted women. Additionally, findings suggest that participants in this study tended to attribute their success to external factors while simultaneously employing proactive strategies to overcome potential barriers. Their achievement strategies were consistent with European American values as described in the literature and with women’s experiences in a gendered society.

Internal Structure of DISCOVER: A Performance-Based Assessment
Ketty M. Sarouphim

The purpose of this study was to investigate the internal structure of the DISCOVER assessment, a relatively new performance-based assessment grounded in Gardner's (1983) theory of multiple intelligences. The sample consisted of 257 Navajo Indian and Mexican-American participants from kindergarten, 2nd, 4th, and 5th grades. Interrater correlations were performed to assess whether observers had given students similar or different ratings in the five activities of the assessment: Pablo® (spatial), Tangrams (spatial/logical-mathematical), Math, Storytelling, and Storywriting (linguistic). The results showed low and nonsignificant interrating correlations, indicating that students identified as gifted in one intelligence were not necessarily rated highly in the other intelligences, a finding congruent with the theory of multiple intelligences. On the other hand, the results gave rise to many validity concerns. The author recommends further studies before calling for the use of the DISCOVER assessment on a wider scale.

Dimensions of Competitive and Cooperative Learning Among Gifted Learners
John F. Feldhusen, David Yun Dai, & Pamela R. Clinkenbeard

This study explored the dimensionality of preferences for competitive and cooperative learning. A researcher-designed Cooperation/Competition Scale was administered to a sample of 176 gifted students who attended a summer program for gifted children. A factor analysis partitioned competition items into 2 components: (a) a desire to win or outperform others and (b) a preference for competition as an energizing factor for learning. Different motivational correlates of cooperative and competitive factors also suggest the validity of a differentiated conception of competitiveness. A cluster analysis identified five relatively homogeneous groups in terms of preferences for cooperative and competitive learning. The results are discussed in the context of recent debates on the desirability of cooperative, competitive, and individualistic learning conditions for gifted students.

Academic Self-Concept of Talented Students:  Factor Structure and Applicability of the Internal/External Frame of Reference Model
Frances Lee Lai Mui, Alexander Seeshing Yeung, Renae Low, & Putai Jin

This study examined (a) the a priori structure of self-concept of talented students and (b) Marsh’s (1986) internal/external frame of reference (I/E) model with talented students. Selective high school students in China (N = 495) were administered a translated version of the Verbal, Math, School, and General self-concept scales of the Self-Description Questionnaire (SDQII). Confirmatory factor analysis showed that Verbal and Math self-concepts were positively correlated with Academic (School) self-concept and with General self-concept, although smaller in size; but they were negatively correlated with each other. The results showed that the talented students differentiated Verbal and Math self-concepts as distinct constructs. When achievement scores and general schoolwork were included in the model, results further validated similar domain specificity of self-concept found in previous research with regular students. The results support the multidimensionality and content specificity of talented students’ academic self-concept as well as the applicability of the I/E model to talented students across culture and ability.