To Group or Not to Group Academically Talented or Gifted Students?

Abstract

This article identifies administrative implications of the findings from the first year of a longitudinal study that compares the performance and attitudes of academically talented or gifted fifth grade students in homogeneous classes with gifted students in heterogeneous classes. Data regarding school-level differences and teachers' instructional strategies provide contextual information. At the beginning of the fifth grade, no statistically significant differences were found on student attitudes and perceptions measured by the Educational Process Questionnaire. By the end of the year, five statistically significant differences were found-all in favor of the homogeneously grouped students: academic self-concept, independent development, self-acceptance, perceptions of the degree to which teachers reinforce student self-concept, and peer relations. Student interview data supported these findings and suggested additional differences in understanding intelligence, reading, cognition, and metacognition.