The purpose of this paper is to describe the self-concept of gifted and average-ability adolescents from a multidimensional perspective. Four dimensions of self-concept (academic, social, athletic, and social) were examined using an instrument that incorporates three theoretical perspectives (reflected appraisals, social comparison, and attribution). Ninety-eight junior high school students from a large urban centre in Western Canada participated in the study. Results of a MANOVA followed by a discriminant analysis indicated that gifted students differ in self-concept from average-ability adolescents, particularly in terms of academic self-concept.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
ByrneB. (1984). The general/academic self-concept nomological network: A review of construct validation research. Review of Educational Research, 54, 427–456.
2.
CampbellD.FiskeD. (1959). Convergent and discriminant validation by the multitrait-multimethod matrix. Psychological Bulletin, 56, 81–105.
3.
ColemanJ.FultsB. (1982). Self-concept and the gifted classroom: The role of social comparisons. Gifted Child Quarterly, 26, 116–120.
4.
CronbachL. (1951). Coefficient alpha and the internal structure of tests. Psychometrika, 16, 297–334.
5.
FittsW. (1964). Tennessee self-concept scale. Nashville: Counselor Recordings and Tests.
6.
FriedmanR. (1992). Zorba's conundrum: Evaluative aspects of self-concept in talented individuals. Quest, 3(1), 1–5.
7.
HogeR.RenzulliJ. (1991). Self-concept and the gifted child. Storrs, CT: National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented.
8.
JanosP.FungH.RobinsonN. (1985). Self-concept, self-esteem, and peer relations among gifted children who feel “different”. Gifted Child Quarterly, 29, 78–82.
9.
JöreskogK.LawleyD. (1968). New methods in maximum likelihood factor analysis. British Journal of Mathematical and Statistical Psychology, 21, 85–96.
10.
KarnesF.WherryG. (1981). Self-concepts of gifted students as measured by the Piers-Harris self-concept scale. Psychological Reports, 49, 903–906.
11.
KellyK.ColangeloN. (1984). Academic and social self-concepts of gifted, general and special students. Exceptional Children, 50, 551–554.
12.
MarshH.HocevarD. (1985). The application of confirmatory factor analysis to the study of self-concept: First and higher order factor structure and their invariance across age groups. Psychological Bulletin, 97, 562–582.
13.
MarshH.ByrneB.ShavelsonR. (1988). A multifaceted academic self-concept: Its hierarchical structure and its relation to academic achievement. Journal of Educational Psychology, 80, 366–380.
14.
MendaglioS.PyrytM. (1991, April). The self-concept of gifted students: New strategies for assessment and development. Paper presented at the meeting of the Council for Exceptional Children, Atlanta.
15.
Olszewski-KubiliusP.KuliekeM.KrasneyN. (1988). Personality dimensions of gifted adolescents: A review of the empirical literature. Gifted Child Quarterly, 32, 347–352.
16.
OsgoodC.SuciG.TannenbaumP. (1957). The measurement of meaning. Urbana: University of Illinois Press.
17.
O'SuchT.HavertapeJ.PierceK. (1979). Group differences in self-concept among handicapped, normal and gifted learners. Humanist Educator, 18, 15–22.
18.
PyrytM.MendaglioS. (1992, April). Theory-driven self-concept measurement: A comparison of gifted and average-ability adolescents. Paper presented at the meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Francisco.
19.
RenzulliJ. (1977). The enrichment triad model: A guide for developing defensible programs for the gifted and talented. Mansfield Center, CT: Creative Learning Press.
20.
RosenbergM. (1965). Society and the adolescent self-image. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
21.
ShavelsonR.HubnerJ.StantonG. (1976). Self-concept: Validation of construct interpretations. Review of Educational Research, 46, 407–441.
22.
SchneiderB. (1987). The gifted child in peer group perspective. New York: Springer-Verlag.
23.
SchneiderB.CleggM.ByrneB.LedinghamJ.CrombieG. (1989). Social relations of gifted children as a function of age and school program. Journal of Educational Psychology, 81, 48–56.
24.
TatsuokaM. (1971). Multivariate analysis: Techniques for educational and psychological research. New York: Wiley.
25.
WinneP.WoodlandsM.WongB. (1982). Comparability of self-concept among learning disabled, normal, and gifted students. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 15, 470–475.
