Marilena Z. Leana-Tascilar

The role of motivation and self-esteem in the academic achievement of Turkish gifted students*:

The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between self-esteem and motivational components and to determine which were the best predictors of academic achievement among Turkish gifted students. Participants in this study were 184 students (76 girls and 108 boys). Sixty-one students were from the fourth grade, 43 from the fifth grade, 34 from the sixth, 32 from the seventh and 14 from the eighth grade. Eighty-four of the students attended İstanbul Art and Science Centre, which is an after-school program for gifted students, and 100 of them attended a public special education school for gifted students. The Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory was used to assess self-esteem and the Scale of Intrinsic Versus Extrinsic Motivational Orientation in the Classroom was used to assess motivational components. Findings showed significant correlations between self-esteem, motivation and achievement. Using a regression analysis, in fourth graders general self-esteem, in fifth graders academic self-esteem, in sixth and seventh graders intrinsic motivations and in eighth graders extrinsic motivation were found to predict academic achievement.

Serving gifted children in developmental and threshold countries — Turkey

Abstract The aim of this paper is to reveal the current situation of gifted education in Turkey. The talents that are valued and the concepts of giftedness were discussed according to the country’s cultural and political perspectives. Studies that had been made to analyze the beliefs of lay people, teachers and parents with respect to gifted students and their education were mentioned. Programs such as special schools (science high schools, private school programs), resource rooms and after-school programs (Science and Art Centers [SACs], Education Programs for Talented Students [EPTS], child universities) were introduced. How these programs currently function was also discussed. In addition, it has emerged that the studies carried out in the past 10 years focused on the adaptation of internationally popular intelligence scales, on the development of original intelligence-, talent- and domain-specific creativity identification tests, on the guidance needs of the students and their parents, on the development of differentiated programs in different areas. In conclusion, even though the amount of research and the awareness toward giftedness in Turkey is increasing there is still much to do. In addition, it is recommended that collaboration should be increased among different institutions to be able to serve gifted students effectively.

Turkish adaptation of the educational-learning capital questionnaire: Results for gifted and non-gifted students

ABSTRACT The Actiotope Model of Giftedness (AMG) focuses on person–environment interactions to define giftedness. The development of the Questionnaire of Educational and Learning Capital (QELC) was based on the AMG. The first aim of this study was to present the reliability and validity of a Turkish version of the QELC for 10th grade students. The second aim of this study was the administration of the QELC in gifted and non-gifted students and the determination of mean QELC-scale differences between both groups. Two different samples were included in the study. In the first sample, 421 10th grade students took the QELC (147 boys, 274 girls). The second sample consisted of 38 gifted students and 38 non-gifted students, the latter randomly selected from the first sample. In addition to the QELC, confidence in one’s competence, failure coping, stability and modifiability beliefs regarding one’s action repertoire were assessed and used to validate the QELC. School grades were collected, too. Results of a confirmatory factor analysis supported the two-factor structure of the QELC (i.e., educational capital and learning capital). The results supported the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of QELC. Gifted students had lower scores in educational as well as learning capital than non-gifted students.

The Relationships between Self-Regulated Learning Skills, Causal Attributions and Academic Success of Trainee Teachers Preparing to Teach Gifted Students.

The purpose of this research is to examine the self-regulated learning skills and causal attributions of trainee teachers preparing to teach gifted pupils, and also to study the predictive relationships between these skills and attributions, on one hand, and academic success, on the other hand. The research was conducted on 123 students attending the Gifted Teacher Training Program at Istanbul University, the first program of its kind to be initiated in Turkey. The instruments used for data collection were the SelfRegulated Learning Skills Scale (SRLSS), Causal Dimensions Scale II, and Great Point Average (GPA). According to the results obtained, girls scored higher in self-regulated learning skills such as planning and strategy using / assessment; they also scored higher in total self-regulated learning skills. Results for the lack of self-directedness sub-dimension showed statistically meaningful differences, with thirdyear students scoring highest, while there were also statistically meaningful differences in the locus of causality given as the reason for lack of success, with first-year students scoring highest. Correlation analysis showed a positive relationship between self-regulated learning skills and the causal focus subscale of causal attributions; between stability and personal control; and between scores for the planning, strategy using / assessment, and total self-regulated learning skills subscales of selfregulated learning skills on the one hand, and academic success on the other hand. However, it appeared that only the planning sub-dimension was a predictor of academic success. Finally, in the current study the subject of why the possession of these skills is important for trainee teachers preparing to teach gifted and talented students is discussed.