Research Base - NAGC

Many students of color are not performing to their maximum potential within the current school setting, andexaminations of this problem suggest significant differences between students and teacher perceptions ofhow one becomes educated. The underlying assumptions of this book are that culture, through the mediationof cognitive style, determines affective and cognitive behaviors that an individual selects to meetenvironmental demands, and therefore, cognitive style significantly affects an individual’s competentperformance in various settings. Focusing on African American, Mexican American, American Indian, andHmong children, reviews and studies examine the cultural perspectives that accompany students to schooland ultimately influence their responses to the school setting. The book’s three sections provide culturalbackground (particularly on child rearing and social interaction) for various racial and ethnic groups; discusslearning styles, with particular attention to field-independent and field-dependence; and suggest ways toimprove the psychological climate of learning (ERIC abstract).Siegle, D., & Reis, S. M. (1998). Gender differences in teacher and student perceptions of gifted students’ability and effort. Gifted Child Quarterly, 42, 39-47.Gifted girls and boys may be treated differently in the classroom due to teacher attitudes. Gifted girls may beperceived as harder workers, but the gifted boys receive higher grades. This results in gifted girls acceptingteacher evaluations of their “lower” ability.Practice-based Referencesde Souza Fleith, D. (2000). Teachers and student perceptions of creativity in the classroom environment.Roeper Review, 22(3), 148-153.This study investigated teachers and students’ perceptions about classroom characteristics that enhance orinhibit the development of creativity. The 7 third and fourth grade classroom teachers viewed classroomenvironments that enhance creativity as providing choice, building confidence, accepting students as theyare, and helping them become aware of their creativity. Instructional strategies used were brainstorming,flexible directions, arts, center, free time, cluster and cooperative groups. Activities that enhanced creativityhad these characteristics: open-ended, hands-on, creative writing, and drawing. The students also describedthe classroom as one where they enjoyed their work and had fun, their relationships with other peoplepositively, and the importance of choices of activities.Harmon, D. (2002). They won’t teach me: The voices of gifted African American inner-city students. RoeperReview, 24, 68-75.This study examined the effects of bussing from a lower income, predominantly minority, elementary schoolto a middle to upper income, predominantly majority elementary school. African American students who werebussed were angry about attending another school, receiving harassment, were rejected by their white peers,and stayed with their own minority group. In their other school, they felt more comfortable and did notexperience the harassment. They viewed ineffective teachers as having low expectations, lacking anunderstanding, and providing unfair and unequal treatment. On the other hand, effective teachers had highexpectations, understood the culture, and provided fair and equal treatment. Three of the effective teachersmentioned that they required respect in their classrooms, provided community role models, and spentconsiderable time developing activities and lessons that presented knowledge from multiple perspectives.Hébert, T. P. (1991). Meeting the affective needs of bright boys through bibliotherapy. Roeper Review, 13,207-212.Hébert uses case studies to examine several social and emotional issues facing gifted young males: imagemanagement, self-inflicted pressure, being labeled “different,” male bonding, cultural expectations, andgender role conflict. Affective needs of bright boys must be recognized as well as considering academicneeds. Bibliotherapy is suggested as one strategy for helping gifted males deal with some of these issues.Kanevsky, L., & Keighley, T. (2003). To produce or not to produce? Understanding boredom and the honor29