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Behavioral Sciences
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The Role of Psychological and Educational Knowledge in Supporting Gifted...
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The Role of Psychological and Educational Knowledge in Supporting Gifted Development

A Special Issue of Behavioral Sciences (ISSN 2076-328X) belonging to the section "Educational Psychology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 April 2026) | Viewed by 2574

Editors

Prof. Dr. Niamh Stack

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
The Department of Psychology, Mary Immaculate College, V94 VN26 Limerick, Ireland
Interests: educational and developmental psychology; inclusive education; community psychology; psychology and social justice; difference and diversity in development
Prof. Dr. Margaret Sutherland

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Education, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G3 6NP, UK
Interests: early education; inclusive education; teacher education; gifted education

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

There is a generally accepted symbiotic relationship between the disciplines of psychology and education when considering how to best support the development and additional support needs of children and young people.  This includes discussions about appropriate provision for gifted individuals (Sutherland & Stack, 2018). There is also tacit agreement within the gifted field that we must look holistically at the individual, considering not just academic strengths/needs but also social and emotional well-being. It has however been argued that we may not have yet fully succeeded in these holistic aims (Worrell, Subotnik, Olszewski-Kubilius & Dixon, 2019). We know from examples within neuroscience that in spite of the very best of intentions, the application of theory to practice and the melding of multidisciplinary perspectives can go astray (Howard-Jones, 2014). This had led to calls for better bridges of communication between psychology, neuroscience and education to make these discussions and their implications for provision more than a sum of their parts (cf. Wilcox, Morett, Hawes & Dommett, 2021).

For this Special Issue, we invite contributors to address current research in the areas of psychology, neuroscience and education in the support of gifted individuals. We are especially interested in research in which these disciplines come together to effectively enhance provision and support for gifted learners or research which demonstrates that the absence of dialogue between these disciplines has limited provision. Knowing what not to do is as important as knowing what to do.

Through the articles in this Issue we hope to explore contemporary opportunities and challenges and to address what part each discipline has to play in harnessing multidisciplinary provision for highly able individuals to ensure it is meaningful and effective. We welcome papers which include a focus on inclusion and intersectionality and we actively seek international perspectives on these issues. The articles may be theoretical or empirical as long as they are informed by evidence.

References

  1. Sutherland, M. and Stack, N (2018) Building knowledge bridges: synthesising early years and gifted education research and practice to provide an optimal start for young gifted In: Wallace, B., Sisk, D.A. and Senior, J. (eds.) The SAGE Handbook of Gifted and Talented Education. SAGE Publications Ltd.. ISBN 9781526431158.
  2. Worrell, F. C. and Subotnik, R. F. and Olszewski-Kubilius, P. and Dixson, D. D., (2019) Gifted Students Annual Review of Psychology, Vol. 70, pp. 551-576, 2019, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3318187 or http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-010418-102846.
  3. Howard-Jones, P. (2014) Neuroscience and education: myths and messages. Nat Rev Neurosci 15, 817–824 https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn3817.
  4. Wilcox, G. Morett, L.M., Hawes, Z. & Dommett, E.J. (2021) Why Educational Neuroscience Needs Educational and School Psychology to Effectively Translate Neuroscience to Educational Practice. Front Psychol. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.618449.

Prof. Dr. Niamh Stack
Prof. Dr. Margaret Sutherland
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Behavioral Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • gifted development
  • gifted education
  • inclusive education
  • educational psychology
  • multiple exceptionalities
  • intersectionality
  • multidisciplinary
  • highly able
  • exceptional learners
  • high potential learners
  • psychology
  • education
  • neuroscience

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 897 KB  
Article
Doing Well and Doing Good: Achievement and Social Life Goals of Gifted Korean Youths
by Jenny Yang and Seokhee Cho
Behav. Sci. 2026, 16(9), 1539; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16091539 - 1 Sep 2026
Viewed by 283
Abstract
This study examined life-goal profiles among Korean gifted adolescents, focusing on two domains: achievement/career-oriented goals and social/relationship-oriented goals. Rather than assuming that gifted students are uniformly performance-driven, the study explored whether students who strongly endorsed both goal domains (dual-goal orientation) differed from students [...] Read more.
This study examined life-goal profiles among Korean gifted adolescents, focusing on two domains: achievement/career-oriented goals and social/relationship-oriented goals. Rather than assuming that gifted students are uniformly performance-driven, the study explored whether students who strongly endorsed both goal domains (dual-goal orientation) differed from students who reported comparatively lower endorsement of both domains (low-goal orientation). Independent-samples t-tests results indicated that the students from the two goal profile groups differed across several domains of academic and psychosocial experience. The dual-goal students reported significantly higher middle-school GPA, more supportive family environment, and higher paternal participation than low-goal students. They also perceived more advantages of being identified as gifted such as greater access to diverse opportunities. The groups did not differ, however, in study-related stress. Supplementary bivariate regression results show that the dual-goal profile was most clearly distinguished by family support, paternal involvement, and positive perceptions of giftedness as a source of confidence and opportunity. Findings suggest that, in the Korean gifted education context, achievement and social goals may be mutually reinforcing rather than competing. The study highlights the role of family support, competence beliefs, and culturally embedded social purpose in adaptive gifted development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Psychological and Educational Knowledge in Supporting Gifted Development)
36 pages, 570 KB  
Article
Acceleration for Gifted Students in Inclusive Education: Finnish and Swedish Physics and Chemistry Teachers’ Experience
by Taina Makkonen and Valerie Margrain
Behav. Sci. 2026, 16(8), 1329; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16081329 - 3 Aug 2026
Viewed by 626
Abstract
This exploratory survey study examines the use of accelerative practices among lower secondary physics and chemistry teachers in Finland and Sweden (N = 160), where a longstanding emphasis on educational equality and inclusion has limited attention to the needs of gifted students. [...] Read more.
This exploratory survey study examines the use of accelerative practices among lower secondary physics and chemistry teachers in Finland and Sweden (N = 160), where a longstanding emphasis on educational equality and inclusion has limited attention to the needs of gifted students. Although international research demonstrates strong academic and socio-emotional benefits of acceleration for gifted students, evidence suggests that Nordic schools rarely implement such practices systematically. The present study investigates teachers’ experiences with four accelerative approaches relevant to the Nordic context—early entrance, grade skipping, subject-based acceleration, and curriculum compacting—and analyses how these practices shape instructional decision-making in science classrooms. Using a mixed-methods design combining descriptive and inferential statistics with inductive content analysis, the study reveals that acceleration is infrequently used in both countries, though Swedish teachers report higher implementation rates than Finnish teachers. Teachers with prior knowledge of gifted education were more likely to employ accelerative practices across all categories. Teachers reported limited time and material resources as barriers to implementation. The findings illustrate a persistent gap between policy-permitted accelerative opportunities and actual inclusive science education classroom practice, highlighting that meeting the learning needs of gifted students requires strengthened teacher education, policy support, and resource allocation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Psychological and Educational Knowledge in Supporting Gifted Development)
31 pages, 707 KB  
Article
To Accelerate or Not? Decision Making for Gifted Students: Insights from a Tri-Case Study on Cognitive-Achievement Alignment and Program Fit
by Yusra Zaki Aboud
Behav. Sci. 2026, 16(7), 1230; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16071230 - 20 Jul 2026
Viewed by 524
Abstract
Academic acceleration decisions for gifted students require a shift from single-scale, grade-based approaches toward integrated, multi-domain assessments that consider cognitive abilities, academic performance, and psychosocial readiness together. This mixed-methods case study examines three Saudi students who experienced academic acceleration and who present distinct [...] Read more.
Academic acceleration decisions for gifted students require a shift from single-scale, grade-based approaches toward integrated, multi-domain assessments that consider cognitive abilities, academic performance, and psychosocial readiness together. This mixed-methods case study examines three Saudi students who experienced academic acceleration and who present distinct cognitive–academic profiles—designated as “Outstanding” (O.F.), “Inconsistent” (O.L.), and “Inconsistent and Regressing” (O.M.)—to explore how the congruence among cognitive abilities (measured by CogAT), academic performance (evaluated through predictive descriptive modeling), and psychosocial readiness (assessed by the modified PDAS) influences acceleration decision making. Data were collected from cognitive tests, academic records, PDAS scores, and semi-structured interviews with students, teachers, and parents. Findings indicate that strong convergence across the three domains was associated with successful whole-grade acceleration, whereas domain-specific mismatch and significant weakness in fluid reasoning were associated with academic decline, psychological distress, and social difficulties. Composite scores masked substantial variations within these asymmetric patterns, leading to potentially inappropriate classifications. Although parental support varied across cases and appeared associated with student outcomes, a causal relationship could not be established within this exploratory design. The study concludes that acceleration policies should move beyond general averages toward individualized, profile-based assessments that consider subject-specific acceleration and psychosocial support when needed. All findings are preliminary observations that require replication with larger samples and longitudinal designs before definitive conclusions can be drawn. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Psychological and Educational Knowledge in Supporting Gifted Development)
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17 pages, 266 KB  
Review
Fractured Paths, Unrealised Potentials: Teacher Education and Equality of Challenge
by Carrie Winstanley
Behav. Sci. 2026, 16(8), 1334; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16081334 - 3 Aug 2026
Viewed by 297
Abstract
Gifted Education remains a contested and unevenly integrated domain within Initial Teacher Education (ITE). Its position is further complicated by conceptual instability surrounding identification, classification, and educational equity. Despite substantial contributions across psychology, neuroscience, and education, its translation into practice is constrained by [...] Read more.
Gifted Education remains a contested and unevenly integrated domain within Initial Teacher Education (ITE). Its position is further complicated by conceptual instability surrounding identification, classification, and educational equity. Despite substantial contributions across psychology, neuroscience, and education, its translation into practice is constrained by conceptual instability, fragmented disciplinary accounts, and institutional pressures toward standardisation. This paper argues that the marginalisation of diverse Highly Able learners is not primarily due to insufficient knowledge, but to a structural failure to integrate existing knowledge into a coherent account of challenge. Drawing on policy analysis and interdisciplinary synthesis, the paper shows how psychological accounts of motivation and engagement, neuroscientific evidence on experience-dependent plasticity, and educational frameworks prioritising scalable pedagogy operate in parallel rather than in synthesis. Within ITE, this fragmentation contributes to a diminished understanding of high-level challenges; currently the challenge is often reduced to a simple notion of ‘stretch’ embedded within generic differentiation or adaptive teaching. To address this, the paper elaborates on Equality of Challenge as a normative and integrative principle, with a focus on low-threshold high-ceiling approaches. It reframes challenge as a matter of distributive justice and educational entitlement, positioning appropriately demanding educational experiences as a core entitlement for all learners rather than a targeted provision. It connects disciplinary insights into a shared account of how challenge should be designed and enacted within ITE and classroom practice. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Psychological and Educational Knowledge in Supporting Gifted Development)
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