Full Program »
3.1.3 General Education Teachers' Understanding of High Potential in Typically Underserved Students
General education classroom teachers tend to have relatively narrow conceptions of giftedness that may not capture behaviors that tend to be more prevalent in high-potential learners from diverse populations. During interviews, we asked teachers to talk about a gifted student, then about a gifted student from an underrepresented population. They were also asked to discuss their responses to these students. The authors discuss the differences that emerged when they analyzed these responses, including student characteristics, content background, and the way teachers framed their responses in terms of students’ strengths versus deficits or challenges.
Author(s):
Pam Peters
pamela.peters@uconn.edu
University of Connecticut
United States
Pam Peters is pursuing a doctoral degree in Educational Psychology focusing on both Gifted Education, Creativity, & Talent Development and Research Methods, Measurement, & Evaluation at the University of Connecticut. Pam’s research interests center on issues of equity. She has worked on Javits funded projects including the National Center for Research on Gifted Education and Program LIFT: Learning Informs Focused Teaching. Her project LIFT responsibilities include data collection and analysis as well as writing and dissemination of findings.
Kelly Kearney
kelly.kearney@uconn.edu
Unviersity of Connecticut
United States
Kelly Kearney serves as a Research Associate on two Javits projects at the University of Connecticut. Dr. Kearney completed her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology with emphasis in Gifted and Talented Education at the University of Connecticut in 2014. Dr. Kearney’s background includes working with teachers and students in school-based and out-of-school programs, and her research has included focus on resilience in advanced learners from underserved populations. In her current position, she coordinates school-based implementation of Project SPARK and Project LIFT, including data collection, support for professional learning efforts, and dissemination and writing.
Rebecca O'Brien
rebecca.obrien@uconn.edu
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
United States
Rebecca O’Brien is an Assistant Professor and director of summer programs for gifted students at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. She completed her PhD at the University of Connecticut in 2018. Her research interests include supporting recognition of high potential in underserved populations, particularly in the early grades, and assessment. She manages data collection and analysis efforts for Project LIFT.
Catherine Little*
catherine.little@uconn.edu
University of Connecticut
United States
Catherine Little is a Professor in Educational Psychology at the University of Connecticut. She teaches courses in gifted and talented education and in the undergraduate honors program. Her research interests include professional development, differentiation of curriculum and instruction for advanced learners, and classroom questioning practices. She currently works as the project director for Project SPARK and Project LIFT, both of which are federally-funded research initiatives focused on working with schools to recognize and respond to advanced academic potential in the early grades, particularly in students from underserved populations