Research Base - NAGC

differentiated instruction, student choice, flexible groupings, and mixed enrichment with acceleration. Theteacher reported that using these strategies, students were not doing the same thing, were not “stuck” in thesame group all year, were able to make choices that matched their interests and abilities, enjoyed enrichmentand acceleration, and reported a positive classroom atmosphere.Nugent, S. A. (2000). Perfectionism: Its manifestations and classroom-based interventions. The Journal ofSecondary Gifted Education, 11, 215-221.Nugent describes perfectionism as the pursuit of excellence transformed into stalking perfection. Giftedstudents are at least as susceptible when compared with the general population. Negative manifestations ofperfectionism may include eating disorders, depression, underachievement, substance abuse, obsessivecompulsivepersonality disorder, and suicide. Classroom manifestations of perfectionism may include delay inassignment completion, impatience with others’ imperfections, repeatedly starting over on assignments, andoverreactions to minor errors. Teachers of gifted students should help students distinguish betweenexcellence and perfection and create a classroom culture where students can learn from mistakes.VanTassel-Baska, J., Bass, G., Reis, R., Poland, D., & Avery, L. D. (1998). A national study of sciencecurriculum effectiveness with high ability students. Gifted Child Quarterly, 42, 200-211.The purpose of this study was to assess student growth on integrated science process skills after beingtaught a 20-36 hour science unit called “Acid, Acid Everywhere.” The sample consisted of 1,471 giftedstudents from self-contained gifted, pull-out, heterogeneous with gifted clusters, and heterogeneousclassrooms. Results indicated significant gains in science skills for gifted students who were involved in thescience unit compared to the students who did not participate in the unit. The findings support the use ofcurriculum designed specifically for gifted students, in this case the science unit, to enhance understanding ofa subject and develop integrated process skills.39