Françoys Gagné

Transforming gifts into talents: the DMGT as a developmental theory1

The Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent (DMGT) presents the talent development process (P) as the transformation of outstanding natural abilities, or gifts (G), into outstanding systematically developed skills which define expertise, or talent (T) 3 in a particular occupational field. This developmental sequence constitutes the heart of the DMGT. Three types of catalysts help or hinder that process: (a) interpersonal (I) catalysts, like personal traits and self‐management processes; (b) environmental (E) catalysts, like socio‐demographic factors, psychological influences (e.g., from parents, teachers, or peers), or special talent development facilities and programs; and (c) chance (C). The DMGT includes a 5‐level metric‐based (MB) system to operationalize the prevalence of gifted or talented individuals, with a basic ‘top 10 per cent’ threshold for mild giftedness or talent, through successive 10 per cent cuts for moderate, high, exceptional and extreme levels. Complex interactions between the six components are surveyed. The text ends with a proposed answer to a fundamental question: ‘What factor(s) make(s) a difference, on average, between those who emerge among the talented and those who remain average?’

My Convictions about the Nature of Abilities, Gifts, and Talents.

The author proposes a set of sequentially structured statements on the nature and origin of human abilities, gifts, and talents; and he invites professionals and academics in gifted education to analyze their own beliefs on the nature of giftedness and talent. What positions and principles will they readily accept, which are less easily shared within the field, and what is the source of these hesitations and oppositions? In the long term, the author hopes that this detailed analysis and discussion of micrograduated statements will give rise to a conceptual foundation, solidly based empirically, that will become endorsed by a large majority of professionals in the field.

Ten Commandments for Academic Talent Development

This article describes a set of 10 positively stated commandments designed to guide professionals responsible for the academic talent development of K-12 students. The first four target identification procedures, the “who” of talent development; they ensue directly from the conceptual framework of my Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent. The next five pertain to intervention modalities, the “how” of talent development. The last one stands alone as a reminder of the need for realistic expectations and alternative life goals. Each of them includes detailed explanations aimed at clarifying its exact meaning as well as the reasons for its inclusion in that list.

Motivation within the DMGT 2.0 framework

This article begins with a brief survey of the recent update of the Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent (DMGT). The DMGT defines talent development as the transformation of outstanding natural abilities (called gifts) into outstanding knowledge and skills (called talents). Two types of catalysts, intrapersonal and environmental, actively moderate the talent development process. The concept of motivation is situated at the core of the intrapersonal catalysts. Borrowing from action control theory, two goal management sets of processes are differentiated. The first set targets goal‐identification (pre‐decisional) activities, whereas the second set deals with goal‐attainment (post‐decisional) activities. They are labeled ‘motivation’ and ‘volition’ respectively. The article describes these two sets of processes, especially the distinction between goals and motives, as well as some practical impacts of individual differences in motivation and volition.

A Proposal for Subcategories Within Gifted or Talented Populations

Following a survey of the literature and a critique of an earlier proposal by Gagné (1993), the author describes a new system of categories to subdivide the gifted and talented populations into more homogeneous subgroups. Based on the metric system, each of the five levels, including the minimum threshold, selects the top 10% of the previous level; to each subgroup is attributed a qualifying label: mild, moderate, high, exceptional, extreme. The author argues for its widespread adoption by professionals in the field of gifted education.

The Socio-Affective and Academic Impact of Early Entrance to School.

How well do early school entrants adjust socio‐affectively when compared to their regularly admitted peers? Despite numerous publications on the subject, much controversy remains, mainly because of methodologically fragile studies. To assess the impact of a new early entrance policy in Quebec, 36 kindergarten and 42 Grade 2 teachers who had at least one early entrant in their class ranked all their students on four bipolar dimensions (conduct, social integration, academic maturity, and academic achievement). Data were collected for 98 early entrants and 1,723 regularly admitted children. The results revealed no substantial differences between the two groups, but a low correlation between age and adjustment among regularly admitted students. A semi‐qualitative analysis showed that the teachers judged a significant percentage of early entrants less than well adjusted; perhaps explaining to a large extent the continuing resistance from educators and parents. Still, boys and the youngest among regularly admitted students were the two populations found much more at risk for social‐emotional problems than early entrants.

Are Teachers Really Poor Talent Detectors? Comments On Pegnato and Birch's (1959) Study of the Effectiveness and Efficiency of Various Identification Techniques

This article reanalyses Pegnato and Birchs data in their often cited 1959 article, especially their measures of effectiveness and efficiency. The author shows that these two concepts are not independent, as usually assumed in studies examining the criterion-related validity of various identification techniques for the gifted and talented. Rather, both are related to the number of subjects singled out as a result of the cutoff value chosen to implement the method. Consequently, most comparisons made between and within methods become invalid. A simple alternative is presented: compare the correla tion coefficients of the predictors with the criterion. It is concluded that this methodological flaw, as well as some other technical limitations, invalidates the most often cited observation from that study, namely, that teacher nominations should not be relied upon as an identification technique for the gifted and talented.

Predictors of Attitudes toward Gifted Education: A Review of the Literature and a Blueprint for Future Research.

Over thirty studies have been published concerning the predictors of peoples attitudes toward the education of the gifted. About 50 variables have been examined as potential sources of these individual differences. The analysis of the results of past studies forces us to conclude that not a single variable consistently emerges as a substantial explanatory factor. To explain this lack of significant results, four major problem areas are identified pertaining to the methodology of these studies: (a) the diversity of the attitude questionnaires used; (b) the size, diversity, and nonrepresentativeness of the samples used; (c) the small number of predictors introduced, as well as the diversity in their operationalization; (d) inadequacies in statistical procedures. Concrete methodological proposals are given to maximize the chances of obtaining significant and generalizable results in future studies on the subject.

Patterns of performance development in elite athletes

Abstract This investigation sought to contrast generalised models of athlete development with the specific pathway trajectories and transitions experienced by 256 elite athletes across 27 different sports. All participants completed the National Athlete Development Survey and within it, the Athlete Development Triangle featuring the differentiation of junior and senior competition experience and progression. Developmental initiation; prevalence, magnitude and direction of pathway trajectory; extent of concurrent junior and senior competitive experience; and variability between sports were examined. Three major trajectories were identified in relation to athlete transition from Nil competition to Elite competition, via junior and senior competition phases. These included Pure ascent (16.4%), Mixed ascent (26.2%) and Mixed descent (57.4%). These were further partitioned into eight sub-trajectories, demonstrating a mix of linear, crossover and concurrent competition profiles. Substantial variability with regard to starting age, pattern of ascent and magnitude of transition was apparent. Non-linear trajectories were experienced by the majority of athletes (83.6%), with pure junior to senior developmental linearity evident in less than 7% of cases. Athletes in cgs sports (those measured in centimetres, grams or seconds) were less likely (43%) to experience a descending trajectory in comparison with non-cgs athletes (70%; p<0.001). The collective findings of this investigation demonstrate that, contrary to the popular pyramidal concept of athlete development, a single linear assault on expertise is rare, and that the common normative junior to senior competition transition is mostly characterised by complex oscillations featuring highly varied transitions. More developmental ‘granularity’ is needed to advance our understanding of sport expertise.

Effect of Paced and Unpaced Practice on Skill Application and Retention: How Much Is Enough?

This study examined the relative benefits of mastery learning, overlearning, and fluency-building instructions for academic performance and long-term retention. College students enrolled in introductory quantitative methods classes (n = 168) were asked to practice every week with a computerized flash-card program until they attained various mastery criteria. The results confirmed that practicing until mastery improved individual exam scores, group success rates, and long-term retention. Moreover, overlearning provided additional benefits, especially in long-term retention. However, fluency-building instructions did not further increase academic achievement or long-term retention. Despite the alleged detrimental effects of drill and practice on motivation, a positive relationship was found between amount of practice and attitudes toward the course, the subject matter, and practice activities.