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2.7.4 Am I Different? Exploring Gifted Identity Formation through a Lens of Difference

Identity development is a vital component of human experience. This study investigated whether gifted children enter identity development stages at a younger age than their peers and whether giftedness brings with it a sense of difference. Successful identity development often leaves gifted individuals with strong convictions and purpose in life, whereas failure to navigate these challenges may bring uncertainty and underachievement. Parents’ perceptions of gifted children’s experience of giftedness in Western Australia were collected by contextual and self-perception questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis of the semi-structured interviews was completed to identity themes that impact the gifted individual’s sense of difference.

Author(s):

Kimberley Perry
kcf.perry@gmail.com
Emmanuel Catholic College
Australia

Kimberley Perry is an educator, researcher and mother from Western Australia. Kimberley is a high school science and mathematics teacher at Emmanuel Catholic College, Western Australia. She has a Masters of Gifted Education with a focus on social emotional wellbeing and identity development of gifted children. She is an advocate for gifted children in Western Australia and a committee member of Gifted WA. As a mother of three highly gifted children, she juggles twice exceptionalities, full grade acceleration, anxieties and perfectionism on a daily basis.