Predicated on Sternberg's conception of practical intelligence, this study examined the practical abilities of intellectually gifted adolescents in order to investigate the extent practical abilities relate to academic abilities. Two questionnaires were administered to 296 gifted and mainstream eighth graders from Singapore. Clinical interviews provided insights into students' tacit understanding of self so as to shed some light on practical abilities that may underlie broad notions of success. Results indicated a marginal association between practical and academic abilities and suggest that academically gifted children are no different from mainstream children in the solution of practical problems. Regardless of academic ability, children “high” in practical intelligence displayed a heightened sense of self and a keener awareness of the hidden curriculum and larger goals of school. Beyond academic knowledge, school smartness, and successful adaptation to environments, true common sense must point toward a need to help children reach for a gestalt in making meaning of their lives.
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