Don't Leave Them Alone: Effects of Probing on Gifted Children's Imaginative Explanations

Abstract

Among educators of the gifted, there is concern that bright children perform less well than they might on challenging school tasks. The present study investigated the effects of probing, a form of questioning, on children's thinking. Nineteen gifted sixth grade students were randomly selected and assigned to one of two conditions (probed, nonprobed). Statistical analysis indicated that probing responses resulted in better performance on more challenging tasks. In fact, in the probed condition, gifted children made no low level responses. In a descriptive comparison with a heterogeneous group of children given the same tasks, nonprobed gifted children did less well than the probed heterogenous group. Without probing, gifted children's performance was similar to that of a cross-section of children of varying ability.

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