This review looks at the role of motivation and self-perception (self-esteem and self-concept) for children identified as gifted and talented. The aim is to first discuss some of the research findings and their implication for gifted and talented students. The second aim is to include some suggestions parents and teachers can consider to assist the development of positive motivation and self-perception within gifted and talented students. The paper argues that self-perception and motivation are improved when students work on tasks that have personal meaning, purpose and choice, in a learning environment that is orientated towards higher level thinking, problem solving and decision making.
The non-cognitive variables of motivation and self-perception are significant issues in understanding the development of gifted and talented children as these affective variables help to explain why only some of the children with high ability are successful in achieving their potential. The historic trend in education and psychology has been to isolate the affective and cognitive variables that influence children's development, placing affect with personality and cognition with learning and memory (Beane, 1986; Wylie, 1987). Increasingly researchers and practitioners are now recognizing that the affective, non-cognitive variables associated with education are significant in influencing the outcome of learning and in understanding how children approach and master learning tasks (Ames, 1984, 1986; Bandura, 1986; Bloom, 1976; Delisle & Renzulli, 1982; Dweck, 1986; Hattie, 1992; Heckhausen, 1987; Markus & Wurf, 1987; McCombs, 1988; Sternberg, 1982; Vygotsky, 1978; Wittrock, 1988).
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