Gifted students with spatial strengths have areas of remarkable talent but are often overlooked, underidentified, and underserved in American schools. Their preference for learning through imagistic reasoning conflicts with traditional verbal instructional techniques typically used in schools. To better serve these students who have the potential…

This article explores what the concept of intellectual character offers that traditional views of intelligence based on abilities do not. The origins of the concept of thinking dispositions are traced and various views regarding the dispositions that might comprise and define one's intellectual character are investigated. Educational implications…

Twenty-three pairs of twins were studied to determine factors influencing special program inclusion, impact of inclusion, and nature of academic programs when only one twin was included. Twins included in special programs were generally characterized by the traditional academic view of high-achievers, while nonselected twins preferred more…

A study explored emerging, persistent cognitive style in four gifted preschoolers to investigate how gifted potential may be transformed or obscured as abilities are applied to tasks. Remarkable style consistencies among the screening analysis, summer program behaviors, and later reports of cognitive ability and styles in kindergarten and first…

This article argues that decisions regarding identification, instruction, and programming for gifted students need to take into account not only their abilities but their styles of thinking. The article discusses the theory of mental self-government; data gathered from testing the theory; and relevance of thinking styles to decisions regarding…

A sample of 57 American Indian and 60 white students (ages 7-12) referred for high ability assessment were administered the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children. Indians scored higher than whites in Simultaneous Processing, whereas whites scored higher than Indians in Sequential Processing. (Author/JDD)

Recent doctoral dissertations on the gifted are reviewed. Sample topics include learning styles and self-concepts of underachievers and achievers; an identification model; gender distribution; effects of Junior Great Books literature discussions on reading comprehension; correlations among above-average ability, creativity, and task commitment;…