Opinions of parents on their preschool children with gifted potential

Abstract

While there are numerous public centers for gifted children outside of compulsory school hours in Türkiye, facilities for gifted preschoolers remain limited. To address this gap, a consortium of public and civil organizations established Şanlıurfa Gifted and Talented Education Center for children aged 3-6 years, funded by the Ministry of Industry and Technology from 2021 to 2023. This study, one of several academic initiatives within the project, explores parental perceptions of giftedness in young children, comparing views of parents whose children scored within normal and high IQ ranges. Upon the project center's opening, advertisements solicited applications for full-time programs. During the spring semester of 2022, 81 volunteering applicant families completed semi-structured interview forms, explaining how they came to the conclusion that their children were gifted. Subsequently, their children underwent IQ testing, classifying them as either within the normal or potentially gifted group. Researchers conducted content analysis on the initial family responses to identify perceptual differences between families of children with normal and high IQ scores. The analysis revealed several characteristics parents associate with potentially gifted preschoolers, aligning with existing literature. These include language proficiency, curiosity, strong memory, interest in mathematics and foreign languages, musical talent, rapid comprehension, sociability, high attention, logical thinking, and creativity. Notably, many of these traits were also attributed to children scoring within the normal IQ range scores, with exceptions being early eading and writing abilities, leadership skills, and expert opinion. The study concludes that parents of both gifted and typically developing children identify similar indicators of giftedness and subtle differences seem to exist in their perceptions of these traits. Further research is recommended to explore implications for the early identification and support of gifted children. The paper's conclusion discusses the full implications and limitations.

Keywords

• Early signs of giftedness
• Gifted potential
• Identification of gifted
• Parents’ views
• Preschool children

References

1. Bahar, A., & Ozturk, M. A. (2018). An Exploratory Study on the Relationship between Creativity and Processing Speed for Gifted Children. International Education Studies, 11(3), 77-91. https://doi.org/10.5539/ies.v11n3p77
2. Bildiren, A. (2018). Developmental characteristics of gifted children aged 0–6 years: parental observations. Early Child Development and Care, 188(8), 997-1011. https://doi.org/10.1080/03004430.2017.1389919
3. Bildiren, A., Sağkal, A. S., Gür, G., & Özdemir, Y. (2020). The perceptions of the preschool teachers regarding identification and education of gifted children. Ozel Egitim Dergisi, 21(2), 351-356.
4. Bucaille, A., Jarry, C., Allard, J., Brochard, S., Peudenier, S., & Roy, A. (2022). Neuropsychological profile of intellectually gifted children: A systematic review. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 28(4), 424-440.
5. Clark, B. (2002). Growing up gifted: Developing the potential of children at home and at school (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill–Prentice Hall.
6. Csikszentmihalyi, M., Csikszentmihalyi, M., & Robinson, R. E. (2014). Culture, Time, and the Development of Talent. The Systems Model of Creativity, (pp. 27–46). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9085-7_3
7. Duan, X., Shi, J., & Zhou, D. (2010). Developmental changes in processing speed: Influence of accelerated education for gifted children. Gifted Child Quarterly, 54(2), 85-91. https://doi.org/10.1177/1932202X14549354
8. Dümenci, S. B., Gürsoy, F., & Aral, N. (2017). Türkiyede okul öncesi dönemdeki üstün potansiyalli ve üstün zekâlı olan çocukların eğitimleri (Education of Highly Gifted and Gifted Children at Preschool Period in Turkey). Kastamonu Eğitim Dergisi, 24(5), 2469-2480.

9. Gomez, R., Stavropoulos, V., Vance, A., & Griffiths, M. D. (2020). Gifted Children with ADHD: How Are They Different from Non-gifted Children with ADHD? International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 18(6), 1467–1481. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-019-00125-x
10. Gray, S., Green, S., Alt, M., Hogan, T., Kuo, T., Brinkley, S., & Cowan, N. (2017). The structure of working memory in young children and its relation to intelligence. Journal of memory and language, 92, 183-201. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jml.2016.06.004
11. Gross, M. (1993). Exceptionally gifted children. London: Routledge.
12. Guignard, J. H., Kermarrec, S., & Tordjman, S. (2016). Relationships between intelligence and creativity in gifted and non-gifted children. Learning and Individual Differences, 52, 209-215. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2015.07.006
13. Inci, G. (2021). The analysis of research about gifted and talented children at early childhood in Turkey: a study of meta – synthesis. Journal for the Education of Gifted Young Scientists, 9(2), 107-121. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17478/jegys.696491
14. Karadağ, F. & Yıldız Demirtaş, V. (2022). Early literacy skills of gifted children in preschool. Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Buca Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, (53), 212-223.
15. Kettler, T., Oveross, M. E., & Bishop, J. C. (2017). Gifted education in preschool: Perceived barriers and benefits of program development. Journal of research in childhood education, 31(3), 342-359.
16. Kitano, M. K., & Tafoya, N. (1983). Preschool leadership: A review and critique. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 5(2), 78-89.
17. Klemme, M. (2022). Lack of support for gifted children in kindergarten. European Journal of Research and Reflection in Educational Sciences, 10(1), 75-82.
18. McClain, M. C., & Pfeiffer, S. (2012). Identification of gifted students in the United States today: A look at state definitions, policies, and practices. Journal of Applied School Psychology, 28(1), 59-88.
19. Meador, K. S. W. (1992). The effect of synectics training on gifted and nongifted kindergarten students (Order No. 9227099). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (304014081). https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/effect-synectics-training-on-gifted-nongifted/docview/304014081/se-2
20. Moerer-Urdahl, T., & Creswell, J. W. (2004). Using transcendental phenomenology to explore the “ripple effect” in a leadership mentoring program. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 3(2), 19-35
21. MoNE. (2016). Bilim ve Sanat Merkezleri Yönergesi (Directive on Science and Art Centers). Official Gazette of the Ministry of National Education, 2710(79). Retrieved from https://orgm.meb.gov.tr/meb_iys_dosyalar/2017_01/02031535_tebligler_dergisi.pdf.
22. Mönks, F. J. & Pflüger, R. (2005). Gifted education in 21 European countries: Inventory and perspective. Radboud University Nijmegen.
23. Olszewski-Kubilius, P., Limburg-Weber, L., & Pfeiffer, S. (Eds.). (2003). Early gifts: Recognizing and nurturing children's talents. Prufrock Press Inc.
24. Perez, G. S., Chassin, D., Ellington, C., & Smith, J. A. (1982). Leadership giftedness in preschool children. Roeper Review, 4(3), 26-28.
25. Pfeiffer, S. I., & Jarosewich, T. (2003). GRS: Gifted rating scales. Psychological Corporation.
26. Pfeiffer, S. I., & Petscher, Y. (2008). Identifying young gifted children using the gifted rating scales—Preschool/kindergarten form. Gifted Child Quarterly, 52(1), 19-29.
27. Renzulli, J.S. (1978). What makes giftedness: Reexamining a definition. Phi Delta Kappan, 60, 180–184.
28. Resch, C. (2014). National policies and strategies for the support of the gifted and talented in Austria. CEPS journal, 4(3), 9-30.
29. Roeper, A. (1977). The young gifted child. Gifted Child Quarterly, 21(3), 388-396
30. Silverman, L. K., Chitwood, D. G., & Waters, J. L. (1986). Young gifted children: Can parents identify giftedness? Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 6(1), 23-38.
31. Steiner, H. H., & Carr, M. (2003). Cognitive development in gifted children: Toward a more precise understanding of emerging differences in intelligence. Educational Psychology Review, 15, 215-246. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024636317011
32. Switzky, H. N., Haywood, H. C., & Isett, R. (1974). Exploration, curiosity, and play in young children: Effects of stimulus complexity. Developmental Psychology, 10(3), 321.
33. Tugrul, B. (2002). Features that facilitate learning and teaching in early childhood. Hacettepe University Faculty of Education Journal, 22, 142-147.
34. Vlahovic‐Stetic, V., Vidovic, V. V., & Arambasic, L. (1999). Motivational characteristics in mathematical achievement: A study of gifted high‐achieving, gifted underachieving and non‐gifted pupils. High Ability Studies, 10(1), 37-49.
35. Webb, J. T. (2007). A parent's guide to gifted children. Great Potential Press, Inc.
36. Wechsler, D. (2012). Wechsler preschool and primary scale of intelligence—fourth edition. Pearson.
37. Worrell, F. C., Subotnik, R. F., Olszewski-Kubilius, P., & Dixson, D. D. (2019). Gifted students. Annual Review of Psychology, 70, 551-576.
38. Yıldırım, A. & Şimşek, H. (2008). Sosyal Bilimlerde Nitel Araştırma Yöntemleri (Qualitative research methods in the social sciences), Seçkin Yayıncılık.