Growing up Gifted: The Experience of Gifted Middle School Students

Research Proposal
Growing up Gifted: The Experience of Gifted Middle School Students
A Phenomenological Study

EDR 610 Educational Research

Samantha Tallman
Northern Arizona University

Growing up Gifted: The Experience of Gifted Middle School Students

Research Questions
1. What is the experience of the gifted middle school student?
2. What strategies do teachers use to help gifted middle school students
succeed?
Introduction
When the words special education are mentioned, most people immediately
think of individuals who require help due to a disability or lack of some kind. Gifted and
talented individuals also fall under the special education umbrella, yet these students do
not receive the same support as other special education students. According to the
National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC), academically gifted and talented
students in this country make up approximately six to ten percent of the total student
population (three to five million students). Yet the United States does not currently
have any federal mandates that determine how gifted students are to be treated in our
school system. This leaves the decisions of whether or not to serve gifted students, and
if so how, to each state.
The NAGC also reports that as of 2014, only 25 states provide funding for gifted
programs to school districts, 14 states collect data on gifted students but provide zero
funding, and 17 states do not collect data on gifted students. Arizona, for example,
mandates that gifted students be identified and provided with services, but gives zero
dollars to fund these requirements. The absence of funding creates teaching
professionals who are not taught how to handle the education of a gifted student. The
idea that gifted children can educate themselves is highly inaccurate. Our own lack of

Growing up Gifted: The Experience of Gifted Middle School Students

understanding of what it feels like to be gifted means we have left millions of children to
navigate the educational system on their own. This research hopes to open the
discussion into the lack of support in gifted education.
Literature Review
The descriptors used to search for applicable literature were: gifted, academics,
middle school, and success. The right method for teaching gifted students can be
looked at in many ways. Chan (2011), for example looked into the characteristics and
capabilities of gifted teachers through the point of view of gifted students.
Mills (2015) took a quantitative look at the work produced by gifted African
American students and that of their non-gifted counterparts. Comparing gifted and nongifted students across various ethnic divides may be an alternative aspect to focus on in
future research. Linnenbrink-Garcia (2013) looked at the level of engagement at a
science camp for gifted students, comparing pre and post surveys for both students and
instructors. Focusing on the variations in different subject areas is another topic for
future studies.
Getting into the more involved, we find Moran (2009) who conducted one on one
interviews with gifted students and their teachers trying to find a connection between
having a sense of purpose at a young age and giftedness. Dimitriadis (2012) conducted
4 separate case studies at 4 different schools using 4 different methods of teaching
gifted students, trying to find a successful method.
Peterson & Lorimer (2012) took their research to a whole new level by creating a
method of using small group teacher facilitated learning, training the educators to use it,
and implementing it on a 5 year plan to determine success rates. There are many

Growing up Gifted: The Experience of Gifted Middle School Students

different aspects that facilitate the understanding of how successful gifted children
become.
Research Design
This is a phenomenological qualitative research study designed to take a closer
look at the experience of the gifted child once they have reached middle school age.
The independent variable for this study is gifted middle school students. The dependent
variables for this study are experiences being gifted and strategies used by teachers to
help gifted students succeed.
A pilot study will be conducted on a smaller scale to aid in the validity of the
study. This will allow the researcher to correct any mistakes in research design before
utilizing too much time and/or resources.
Sampling
For the purposes of this research study, a judgmental (or authoritative) sampling
technique will be used due to the rarity of individuals who qualify as gifted. Participants
must meet the following criteria in order to be considered for this study:
1. Qualify as gifted as determined by the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) or the
Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test (NNAT) test. Both of these tests are
recognized nationally by public schools as a valid determination of giftedness
as will serve as our measurement of authority.
2. Be enrolled in a public middle school or junior high located within the Phoenix
area, including surrounding suburbs.
3. Authorization from a parent or legal guardian to participate.

Growing up Gifted: The Experience of Gifted Middle School Students

Participants who meet the above criterion will then be randomly drawn from the
pool of candidates in proportion to the percentage of middle school student population
in each geographic area. If a lack of participants exists, then all students who qualify
will participate in the study.
Data Collection
Data will be collected in several ways. First, participants will complete an openended questionnaire that will question how they feel about different aspects of school.
Areas of interest would include: interpretation of success, interpretation of failure, selfesteem, behavior, and academics. Second, the teacher(s) of each participant will also
complete an open-ended questionnaire. The teacher questionnaire will focus on their
observations of the participant, such as: level of success, level of participation, level of
engagement, behavior, and academics. Follow-up interviews to questionnaire
responses from either the participant or their teacher may be added if deemed
necessary. Finally, the researcher will conduct three in classroom observations of
participants over the course of a school year. Observations will be recorded focusing
on student action and teacher reaction to various daily events. This portion of the data
collection will help the researcher recognize any strategies utilized by the teacher that
aid in the success of the gifted student.
Data Analysis
Results from student participants will be compiled as questionnaires are
completed using a coding method to organize responses into categories. The coding
structure, which may be altered as necessary, is outlined in the table below.
Code
S

Theme of Response
Success associated with statement

Growing up Gifted: The Experience of Gifted Middle School Students

F
P
N
B
A

Failure associated with statement

Positive emotion conveyed
Negative emotion conveyed
Behavior concern conveyed
Academic concern conveyed

Results from teacher participants will be compiled as questionnaires are

completed using a coding method to organize responses into categories. The coding
structure, which may be altered as needed if necessary, is outlined in the table below.
Code
S
F
P+
PE+
EB
A

Theme of Response
Success associated with statement
Failure associated with statement
Positive Participation conveyed
Negative Participation conveyed
Positive Engagement conveyed
Negative Engagement conveyed
Behavior concern conveyed
Academic concern conveyed

Observations will be reviewed to identify any teaching strategies used that were
directed toward gifted students. The success of each strategy would lead to further
investigation to be determined.
Human Relations
Individual school district offices would be contacted to authorize their student and
employee participation in the study. Parents of each individual student participant
would give written permission for their child to participate in the study. Teachers would
also give written permission agreeing to participate within the parameters of the study.
Principals and/or district officials would give permission for the researcher to observe
specific classrooms on their campus.

Growing up Gifted: The Experience of Gifted Middle School Students

Minor risks to the educational environment may exist in the form of classroom
distractions arising from a non-staff adult being present in the classroom. No major
risks to participants are known at this time.
Timeline
Estimated start date: August 1, 2015
Estimated completion date: June 30, 2016
Task
1. Contact School Officials

Timeframe

Send letters over summer

break (June/July)
Follow up in August

2. Obtain permission from all

participants

August

3. Train Research Assistants

September

4. Send Questionnaires
Code Questionnaires (as they are
returned)

September 1st
Include return date of October
31st.

5. Complete Observations

November 1st through April 1st

6. Analyze Observations

May

7. Write Report

June

Growing up Gifted: The Experience of Gifted Middle School Students

References
Chan, D. W. (2011). Characteristics and Competencies of Teachers of Gifted Learners:
The Hong Kong Student Perspective. Roeper Review, 33(3), 160-169.
Dimitriadis, C. (2012). Provision for mathematically gifted children in primary schools: an
investigation of four different methods of organisational provision. Educational
Review, 64(2), 241-260.
Linnenbrink-Garcia, L., Patall, E. A., & Messersmith, E. E. (2013). Antecedents and
consequences of situational interest. British Journal Of Educational Psychology,
83(4), 591-614.
Mills, M. T. (2015). Narrative Performance of Gifted African American School-Aged
Children From Low-Income Backgrounds. American Journal Of SpeechLanguage Pathology, 24(1), 36-46.
Moran, S. (2009). Purpose: giftedness in intrapersonal intelligence. High Ability Studies,
20(2), 143-159.
National Association for Gifted Children. (2015). Gifted Education in the US. Retrieved
May 07, 2015 from NAGC.org: http://www.nagc.org/resourcespublications/resources/gifted-education-us
Peterson, J. S., & Lorimer, M. R. (2012). Small-Group Affective Curriculum for Gifted
Students: A Longitudinal Study of Teacher-Facilitators. Roeper Review, 34(3),
158-169.
Shuttleworth, M., (2008). Qualitative Research Design. Retrieved May 07, 2015 from
Explorable.com: https://explorable.com/qualitative-research-design.