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4.9.7 Grouping Students to Maximize Gifts, Talents, & Potential: What Gifted Students Say Works for Them

There are a variety of possibilities when it comes to grouping students, with the primary distinction being whether groups are heterogeneous (mixed-ability) or homogeneous (like-ability). Even with the different grouping options within these frameworks, gifted students often request to work individually rather than in a group. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand 11th- and 12th- grade gifted students’ perceptions of grouping practices in school and to explore the impact such practices had on their attitudes towards group work.

Research question:

What are the experiences of high school gifted students when working in groups at school?

Sub Questions: • What are examples of group situations that gifted students felt worked well for themselves and others? • What are examples of group situations that gifted students felt did not work well for themselves and others? • What do gifted students perceive to be the benefits and challenges of working in heterogeneous versus homogeneous groups?

Participants included 16 high school juniors and 12 seniors (14 girls, 14 boys; ages 15-17) attending a two-week, summer, residential leadership program for gifted learners on a mid-sized university campus in the Western Region during summer 2014.

Participants completed the “Feelings Towards Group Work” questionnaire (Cantwell & Andrews, 2002) and additional questions concerning frequency of group work and area of gifted identification. After completing the questionnaire, students responded in writing to 29 open-ended questions concerning their group work experiences. Based on responses to the questionnaire and the open-end questions, purposive sampling was used to select 10 students for semi-structured interviews.

Analysis of the data was ongoing. Transcripts and responses to open-ended questions were read multiple times and coded based on significant phrases or sentences that pertained to students’ perceptions and experiences regarding working in groups. These were clustered into six themes common to participants: ● Difficult to Trust Others ● Frustration with Process ● Working in Groups Can Be a Positive Experience ● Empathy for Others ● Loss of Control When Assigned Groups ● Sense of Responsibility

The data were triangulated using prior research studies and the students’ questionnaire and interview responses. Additionally, three colleagues, who had not had any direct involvement in the study, reviewed the analysis, interpretations, and conclusions of the study to determine if they were supported by the data. Findings indicated gifted students were more intellectually satisfied by the experience of working in homogeneous groups than in heterogeneous groups.

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