This paper examines the Chinese literature on giftedness and talented performance (TP) and compares its dominant theoretical features with some influential models to be found in the North American literature. One significant feature to emerge from the Chinese literature is a deemphasis on giftedness as an innate ability and an emphasis on the concept of talented performance. Such a finding is congruent with a Confucian cultural outlook that encourages effort, rather than the identification of giftedness. In order to test this finding against the perceptions of Chinese educators, a preliminary study was carried out involving 14 secondary school teachers. The results confirmed the findings from the literature survey, suggesting that these teachers’ perceptions conformed to a model of TP with a developmental conception as its central organizing feature. It is hoped that the implications of this study will contribute to the practice of gifted and talented education in China and will also provide basic theoretical grounds for further research.
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