What Motivates Leading Female Academics in Gifted Education in a Changing World to Persist?

Using Kronborg’s (2010) Talent Development Model for Eminent Women as a theoretical framework, this qualitative research explored the lives of fifteen leading female academics/ educators in gifted education in Australia, United States and Europe to discover what motivated these talented females to persist in gifted education and in the world of academe; in addition to examining what contributed to their talent development. These leading female educators participated in semi-structured interviews and completed psycho-social measures. Findings explain the women’s persistence in gifted education in academia, and their personal talent development, and add support to Kronborg’s Talent Development Model for Eminent Women.