Kevin Besnoy

The Advocacy Experiences of Parents of Elementary Age, Twice-Exceptional Children.

For many parents, successfully advocating for their twice-exceptional child can be intimidating and overwhelming. Using grounded theory, we conducted a study with parents (n = 8) of elementary age, twice-exceptional children to learn about their advocacy experiences. Findings revealed that parents simultaneously advocated for their child’s disability and protected their child’s giftedness. This overarching theme influenced parents’ expectations of their local school system, while highlighting their lack of professional knowledge. All participants wanted their child to maximize her or his potential and not be limited by her or his disability. Data gathered from individual interviews and focus group sessions revealed that all parents struggled with developing advocacy strategies to manage their child’s dual diagnosis. Only after parents acquired professional knowledge about educational terminology and official policies, were they able to become successful advocates. The lack of readily available resources focusing on twice-exceptional children was an obstacle to successful advocacy. Suggestions for future research and collaboration are discussed.

Creating a Digital Ecosystem for the Gifted Education Classroom

To date, there is a paucity of empirical research documenting the essential environmental conditions that must exist before teachers of the gifted will integrate technology into their instruction. To establish baseline data documenting the frequency with which teachers of the gifted use technology for instructional purposes and to build theory describing the critical environmental conditions that support technology integration, researchers administered the Perceptions of Computers and Technology (PCT) survey to 255 teachers of the gifted. This survey measured teachers’ self-reported use of technology and other factors that contributed to computer integration. Results suggested five conditions (general school support, infrastructure, professional development, teacher attitude, and teacher personal use) are necessary for teachers of the gifted to create a classroom digital ecosystem. In this model, personal use accounted for the greatest amount of unique variability. Conclusions are drawn, new lines of inquiry are posed, and implications are discussed.

Using Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis to Measure Construct Validity of the Traits, Aptitudes, and Behaviors Scale (TABS).

This study evaluated the construct validity of the Traits, Aptitudes, and Behaviors Scale (TABS). Data for this study were collected from two separate school districts across three different academic years in the Southeastern United States. Of the total sample (N = 2,330), 64.6% of the children were identified as African American, 29.0% as Caucasian, and 6.4% had no or other racial category specified. A two-step process was used to assess evidence of construct validity in the TABS. The first step was to identify an optimal factor structure using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) techniques. The second step was to confirm the structure using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) methods. Results point to a one-factor solution as the optimal factor structure for the TABS EFA sample; however, CFA showed mixed results for model fit. Despite these limitations, results of this study suggest that the TABS might help reduce teacher bias during the referral/nomination process of gifted children. Although the TABS factor structure suggests that it measures a single construct of giftedness, additional studies need to be conducted to confirm these findings.

Gifted ‘n the ‘hood: Gender and giftedness as predictors of social risk among low-income students

ABSTRACT Research abounds on adolescent poverty and on gifted education, but these fields are seldom considered together. This study explores trajectories of aggressive behavior (i.e., weapon carrying) of impoverished, gifted youth. Results indicate that gifted students engage in lower levels of weapon carrying than non-gifted students. Gifted and non-gifted girls’ trajectories are parallel across age.However, weapon carrying among gifted and non-gifted boys does not differ during early and late adolescence, but it does during middle adolescence. These differences can perhaps be explained by examining impulsivity and temperament trajectories by gifted status. Impulsivity for boys and quick-temperedness for girls is lower during early and middle adolescence for gifted students than for non-gifted students, but not during later adolescence. Quick-temperedness for boys and impulsivity for girls does not differ by gifted status during early and late adolescence, but it does during middle adolescence. These findings suggest that some characteristics of giftedness are manifest during early adolescence (perhaps even before enrollment in a gifted program). However, other giftedness characteristics appear only during middle adolescence, after students have enrolled in the gifted program. Implications of these findings for how gifted education programs can impact aggression, and ways to optimally structure these programs, are explored.

Going Up in Dreams and Esteem Cross-Age Mentoring to Promote Leadership Skills in High School–Age Gifted Students

Mentoring programs are an effective way to offer gifted students authentic learning opportunities. Although there are many mentoring models, the fundamental relationship between mentor and mentee has remained consistent throughout the ages. One mentoring model that has recently grown in popularity is the cross-age mentoring model. In this model, the mentor is an older student who is paired with a younger elementary or middle school–age mentee. This article describes the effectiveness of the Crimson G.U.I.D.E. (Going Up In Dreams and Esteem) Program. The Crimson G.U.I.D.E. Program utilized the cross-age mentoring model by matching gifted high school students with struggling elementary school students in a structured after-school mentoring program. The program provided gifted high school students an opportunity to develop the leadership skills necessary for lifelong success. Suggestions for replicating this mentoring program are offered.