Virginia H. Burney

The Constraints of Poverty on High Achievement.

Research studies on school success often focus on the impact of discrete elements such as race, culture, ethnicity, gender, language, or school location on high achievement. The condition of poverty, however, may be the most important of all student differences in relation to high achievement; although not all schools have racial diversity, nearly all schools have at least some students living in poverty. In this paper, the authors review the literature on poverty, including its relationship with ethnicity and locale; search for commonalities that illuminate the relationship between poverty and high achievement; identify problems in data gathering that mitigate against the identification of high-ability poor children; and underscore the need to provide individual support and the development of resilience to low-income, high-ability students. Recommendations for improving the identification, services, and success of high-ability learners who are affected by poverty are included.

The Influence of Primary Caregivers in Fostering Success in Twice-Exceptional Children

Using grounded theory, this study investigated primary caregivers’ perceptions of the role they play in influencing the academic success of students formally identified as twice-exceptional. Data from interviews were coded and analyzed for themes. Results indicated that primary caregivers (mothers) perceived that they played a major role in the academic success of their twice-exceptional children, first by recognizing their children’s gifts as well as disabilities and then by assuming responsibility for the development of their children’s potential. They sought professional evaluations, provided or secured educational supports, shaped their children’s healthy perceptions of their disabilities, and taught them how to advocate for themselves while simultaneously maintaining high expectations for their children, despite their disabilities. Implications of the findings are discussed, and areas for future research are outlined.

High Achievement on Advanced Placement Exams: The Relationship of School-Level Contextual Factors to Performance.

The purpose of the study was to identify school- and district-level variables that relate to advanced academic achievement, as defined by the ratio of number of scores of 3, 4, or 5 on Advanced Placement exams to school enrollment. The study initially included 46 variables for 339 public high schools in one Midwestern state. Hierarchical linear regressions were applied to 14 and then 7 independent variables, explaining 80% of the variance in advanced academic achievement among high schools. Findings indicate that after accounting for seemingly fixed factors, schools and districts can still contribute significantly in the development of advanced academic achievement. Implications for educators and policy makers are discussed. Putting the Research to Use The percentage of minority students, percentage receiving free and reduced lunch, and the educational level of the community are common reasons given for explaining the lack of high achievement or the lack of advanced opportunities for the high-ability students in their schools. However, this study found that these fixed contextual variables, in general, do not limit the school from having a group of high performers among its students. The focus needs to be on what academic services and opportunities can be provided for high-ability students that will increase their academic preparation and therefore likelihood of graduating from college. Access to advanced courses is a factor within the control of school policy makers. The question to consider, then, is how might small schools with minimal resources offer these advanced courses for their high-ability students. One promising solution is to offer the AP courses through virtual means.

Perfectionism and Achievement Motivation in High-Ability Students: An Examination of the 2 × 2 Model of Perfectionism

This study examined the relationship among subtypes of perfectionism and achievement goal orientations within the context of Gaudreau and Thompson’s quadripartite framework. The authors first sought to replicate Campbell and Di Paula’s factor analysis to identify subtypes of self-oriented perfectionism (SOP) and socially prescribed perfectionism (SPP) within a high-ability sample. Because they were unable to replicate the factor structure of Campbell and Di Paula’s factor analysis, the two full scales of SOP and SPP were used in all subsequent analyses. Results indicated partial support for Gaudreau and Thompson’s model for mastery-approach and performance-approach goals. Pure SOP was related to higher levels of approach goals compared with non-perfectionism, whereas mixed perfectionism (SOP and SPP) was related to higher levels of approach goals compared with pure SPP. Implications for using second-order factors compared with first-order facets of perfectionism in research are discussed.

The Relationship of Cognitive and Executive Functioning With Achievement in Gifted Kindergarten Children

This study provides baseline data to assist researchers in conducting future studies exploring the developmental trajectories of young gifted learners on measures of cognitive ability and achievement. The study includes common neuropsychological tests associated with preliteracy and the early-reading process as well as markers for inattention and executive functioning skills. Using a sample of kindergarteners identified as gifted, the results indicated that despite intelligence quotient scores in the very superior range and high means on traditional achievement measures, great variability was observed within the sample on several benchmarking measures of cognitive, academic, neuropsychological, and executive functioning. Additionally, only an average mean score on a visual–motor processing neuropsychological measure was obtained. Four neuropsychological measures provided important loadings in canonical correlations with achievement: Oromotor Sequences, Repetition of Nonsense Words, Beery-Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration scores, and Speeded Naming. In addition to providing baseline data on these measures, the results also offer support for defining giftedness as a developmental process.