Parallel Session Proceedings »
3.3.6 Examining the Relationship Between Overexcitabilities and Protective Factors of High-Achieving Adolescents
Despite research efforts by researchers in the field of giftedness, a gap still exists in understanding the role of protective factors in high-achieving students’ psychological and emotional adjustment. The purpose of this study was to explore whether overexcitabilities can predict protective factors. A related purpose was to explore gender differences in overexctabilities and protective factors. The sample of the study consisted of 180 male and female high-achieving students who were randomly selected from grades 11 and 12 in some post-basic education schools in Muscat, Oman. High-achieving students were selected based on their achievement scores in the fall semester of the 2017/2018 school year. Students who achieved a score of 90 and above (equivalent of grade A) in all the subjects taught at the school were included. The students responded to the Overexctiabilties Questionnaire-II (OEQ-II) hat consisted of five subscales: psych-motor overexcitabilities, sensual overexcitabilities, imaginational overexcitabilities, intellectual overexcitabilities, and emotional overexcitabilities. Also, classroom head teachers completed the Emotional and Behavioral Rating Scale-II (BERS-II) as a measure of protective factors. Strengths assessed by the BERS-II include interpersonal strength, involvement with family, intrapersonal strength, school functioning, affective strength, and career strength. The psychometric properties of the two instruments showed that they have adequate validity and reliability. Prior to data collection, permission from the Ministry of Education (Technical Office of Studies and Development) was granted to collect data from post-basic (grades 10 and 11) schools in Muscat. Five schools were randomly selected for data collection. In these five schools, students and classroom teachers were consented to participate in the study. The researcher briefed the students and head classroom teachers about the purpose of the study. The data collection lasted about two months. Tests for multicollinearity showed a low level of multicollinearity. The hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed that emotional overexcitabilities significantly predicted students’ BERS-II strengths index (β = .189, t = 2.21, p < .05). The two-way MANOVA showed a significant main effect of gender in sensual and emotional overexcitabilities and the BERS-2 overall strength index. Males’ overall strength index of protective factors was significantly higher than females’ (p < .001) while females’ sensual and emotional overexcitabilities were significantly higher than males’. The results of the study are discussed in the light of existing literature.