Search Results (17)

Early mathematical learning predicts later academic achievement, and creativity within mathematics plays a central role in higher-order thinking. This study examined the effects of linguistically responsive mathematics enrichment programs for nurturing mathematical creativity. Participants were 250 high-potential kindergarten English Learners across six urban schools in New York, Texas, and California. A linguistically responsive enrichment intervention adapted from the Mentoring Young Mathematicians (M²) math curriculum was implemented for 80 h across seven months. Using the Tangram Creativity Assessment, fluency, flexibility, and originality were measured in students’ tangram problem solving. Additional predictors included Tangram Problem Solving Speed (TPSS), general reasoning (CogAT), and mathematical achievement (NWEA MAP Math). ANCOVA showed significant post-test differences favoring the intervention group across all creativity components. Two-group structural equation modeling analysis supported measurement invariance and explained 55–60% of posttest creativity variance. TPSS emerged as the strongest predictor, with greater effects for the intervention group. These findings highlight the potential of enrichment programs and language-accessible geometry tasks to cultivate creativity in young gifted ELs by strengthening their mathematical foundation while supporting flexible and original problem solving. Full article

This study examines the performances of gifted and talented high schoolers in transforming computational thinking skills and mathematical knowledge into creative STEM project production. A mixed-methods sequential explanatory research design involving 112 participants was employed. In the first quantitative phase, the Computational Thinking Skills Scale was administered to assess problem-solving, creative thinking, algorithmic thinking, cooperative learning, and critical thinking skills. Latent profile analysis yielded three CTS profiles: high (29%), moderate (51%), and basic (20%). The qualitative phase used a case study to examine, latent profile participants’ project production experiences of computational thinking in problem-solving, cooperative learning, critical thinking, creative thinking, and algorithmic thinking, as well as the domain, outcomes, and dissemination of projects over 23 weekly sessions. The results indicated that while three latent profiles demonstrated comparable performances in problem-solving and cooperative learning, differences in creativity of project products and dissemination were associated with variations in algorithmic, critical, and creative thinking skills. Algorithmic and logical designs, mathematical models, prototypes, and patent applications produced by gifted high school students reflected the transformation of computational thinking skills into creative project productivity. Full article

Twice-exceptional students, who are both gifted and present with characteristics of neurodiversity such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), possess distinctive academic and socio-emotional needs that necessitate individualized educational strategies. This qualitative case study explores the academic and socio-emotional experiences of Murat, an eighth-grade learner identified as gifted and diagnosed with ASD, from the perspectives of the student himself, his mother, and his teachers. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s six-phase reflexive thematic analysis. The findings revealed that Murat achieved success in mathematics and science, particularly within enriched, strength-oriented environments that accommodated his sensory sensitivities. Despite challenges in social skills and group participation, he benefited considerably from teacher scaffolding and interactive pedagogies. His mother’s active engagement and strong family–school collaboration emerged as pivotal factors in his developmental progress. This study extends beyond individual challenges to highlight the potential strengths that arise from by the intersection of neurodiversity and giftedness. Additionally, it contributes to the limited body of literature exploring how the notion of twice-exceptionality manifests within underrepresented educational contexts. Future research could investigate diverse socio-cultural contexts and develop strategies to enhance teacher preparation and family engagement in supporting gifted learners with ASD. Full article

Despite advancements in information and technology, the benefits of online education for mathematically gifted students remain underexplored. In response, this study investigated the impacts of teacher competencies on students’ sustainable development in online mathematics competition education, examining the mediating role of teaching practice and the moderating role of teacher adaptability. Based on survey data from 289 Chinese mathematics competition teachers, the current research yielded the following findings: (1) Online teaching efficacy exerted a stronger positive influence on sustainable development compared with competition teaching professionalism, establishing the crucial role of technological competence in online education. (2) Teaching engagement and teaching practice significantly mediated the relationship between teacher competencies and sustainable development, with teaching engagement demonstrating stronger effects. (3) Teacher adaptability emerged as a significant moderator, empowering teaching practices and their effectiveness in promoting students’ sustainable development. These findings construct an integrated theoretical framework for understanding the translation of teacher competencies into student outcomes in online mathematics competition education, providing evidence-based guidance for enhancing teaching effectiveness in mathematics gifted education. Full article

High school students face critical psychological challenges during adolescence, including academic pressures and educational decision-making. Dabrowski’s Theory of Positive Disintegration provides a framework for understanding growth through disintegration and reintegration, with perfectionistic traits acting as intrinsic motivators for self-improvement. This study examined the psychological profiles of 641 Taiwanese high school students: 207 mathematically and scientifically talented students (MSTS), 187 verbally talented students (VTS), and 247 regular students (RS). Using the ME III, refined from the ME II, and the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale, our research assessed overexcitabilities (OEs) and perfectionism traits. MSTS and VTS scored significantly higher in Intellectual and Imaginational OEs than RS, with VTS also overperforming in sensual OE. MSTS and VTS showed higher personal standards, while VTS excelled in organization, and RS reported higher parental criticism. Emotional OE correlated with perfectionism, such as concern over mistakes, doubts about actions, and parental criticism, while Intellectual OE positively correlated with personal standards and negatively with parental criticism. Intellectual and Emotional OEs jointly predicted personal standards and organization; while Sensual, Intellectual, and Emotional OEs predicted doubts about actions, etc. These findings underscore the importance of tailored educational and counseling strategies to address the unique needs of gifted students, fostering environments that enhance their abilities and overall well-being. Full article

Goal 4 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals emphasizes ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education to achieve sustainability. It is well known that gifted mathematics education is crucial, but teachers for gifted mathematics education are extremely scarce. The promotion of sustainability in gifted mathematics education on a large scale is an important issue to ensure equity and quality in education. Mathematical competitions have always been an important method for gifted education and have received widespread attention from students and parents. Many high school students prepare for these competitions through extracurricular gifted mathematics tutoring. With the advancement of science and technology and the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, many tutoring courses have gradually turned to online courses. Online gifted mathematics education has become a model for developing gifted education. In this study, we conducted an in-depth analysis of the learning patterns, grades, and family backgrounds of students participating in mathematics competitions in 10 key high schools in Liaoning Province from 2018 to 2024. The research results are as follows: (1) Before the COVID-19 pandemic, extracurricular gifted mathematics education primarily consisted of offline courses. During the COVID-19 pandemic, online learning resources developed rapidly and became prevalent, while offline education decreased. (2) Students from high-income families preferred offline courses when participating in extracurricular gifted education tutoring for mathematics. In contrast, students from middle- and low-income families were more inclined to choose online courses. Household registration and the place of residence had a weak correlation with the time spent participating in online gifted mathematics education. Among the influencing factors, material resources such as computers, smartphones, and broadband internet had a significant mediating effect. (3) With the advent of online education, the correlation between mathematics competition achievements and family income significantly decreased. However, students from rural families face challenges in accessing online education due to a lack of material resources consequent to the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in lower mathematics competition achievements. The results show that online gifted education in mathematics breaks through the limitations of time, space, and resources; solves the problem of scarce teaching staff; and helps promote a comprehensive strategy for sustainable development in gifted education. At the same time, issues such as the digital divide, insufficient hardware, and limited internet access still need to be addressed. Full article

This article examines gifted students’ (ages 13–16) groupwork on a rich task in mathematics. This study was conducted in Norway, which has an inclusive education system that does not allow fixed-ability grouping. The purpose of this study was to better understand how to cultivate mathematical learning opportunities for gifted learners in inclusive education systems. The analysis was conducted from a multimodal perspective, in which students’ coordination of speech, gestures, and artifact use was viewed as part of their learning process. The findings contribute to discussions on gifted students as a heterogeneous group. Moreover, our analysis illustrates how giftedness can be invisible, leading to unrealized potential and low achievement. We suggest that more attention be paid to teaching by adapting to gifted students’ individual needs, particularly if the intention is to provide high-quality learning opportunities for gifted students in inclusive settings. Full article

This study explores how assessment is presented in Swedish early years’ steering documents and considers risks for young gifted students in relation to assessment (or lack thereof). Document analysis was undertaken on, firstly, Swedish curriculum documents for the preschool and for the compulsory school, and secondly, mapping materials used in the preschool class with six-year-old children. Results show that assessment is not a term used in Swedish early years curricula. Instead, preschool teachers are asked to evaluate their own practice; preschool class teachers are asked to engage with mapping and only to consider working toward later assessment goals in year 3 of school. A plethora of alternative assessment terms are used in the curriculum without definition. Giftedness is also invisible in the curriculum. However, the mapping materials used with six-year-old students in the subject areas of mathematics and Swedish do encourage teachers to consider children who achieve mastery early. Further, these materials provide supportive questions and activities for teachers to use in exploring further. The specific examples of assessment discourses and the need to consider gifted children are combined in this article to highlight aspects of teacher work that are important for the educational rights of an often-forgotten group of learners. Full article

Important questions regarding mathematical giftedness are how and when it is possible to identify. To be identified as gifted, the student must have natural potential but also an appropriate mix of motivation, support, and challenges. This study is based on longitudinal data following students from 3rd grade in primary school to the end of upper secondary school between 2005 and 2015. We focus on top achievers (<2% of age cohort) of the national mathematics final exam at the end of upper secondary school. We investigate how accurately top achievers at the end of secondary school can be identified in 3rd, 6th, and 9th grades using national tests. We identify mathematical tasks that predict future top achievement and analyze how attitudes, gender, and parental background factors relate to high proficiency. Most top achievers had already been identified by 3rd grade and almost all of them by 9th grade. However, recognizing future top achievers was not very accurate, as they were indistinguishable from many students whose performance did not reach the same level over time. The best predictor for future top achievement was a student’s ability to solve non-routine and atypical tasks in early school years. Full article

The dynamic interplay between teachers’ beliefs and practices significantly impact the quality of instruction and the trajectory of talent development in young students. This case study explores the beliefs and practices of two elementary teachers instructing gifted ELs in mathematics. The constant comparison method was used to analyze data collected from classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, and field notes. Three factors were found to affect the (in)consistency between teachers’ expressed beliefs and observed practices: compatibility among core and peripheral beliefs, knowledge about evidence-based practices, and classroom management skills. Students exhibit higher levels of participation, communication, and engagement in critical thinking skills when their teacher embraces constructive perspectives in teaching mathematics, demonstrates pedagogical expertise, and employs a proactive classroom management approach. Conversely, students encounter restricted opportunities to independently construct their own understanding of mathematics when their teacher holds maladaptive beliefs about teaching mathematics, has limited knowledge of evidence-based practices, and has an authoritarian classroom management style. These findings underscore the need for a new approach to professional development (PD) that encourages teachers to critically examine the connection between their beliefs and instructional practices and their impact on the student’s mathematical talent development. Full article

The purpose of this research was to study the effectiveness and usefulness of a Mathematics Enrichment Program (MEP) from students’ perspectives. The case study presented in this paper highlights the need for the MEP as a possible way to fulfill the needs of high-achieving and gifted students in mathematics in regular classrooms. This MEP was designed to improve students’ mathematical literacy in relation to their readiness for work after school and using mathematics in real life. The process for developing the MEP was described. The sample consisted of 51 grade 10 students from the advanced stream in two high schools in the UAE. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected through a survey designed specifically for this study to gain insight into students’ perceptions of their participation in the MEP experience. Students’ responses to the survey showed a significant impact of the enrichment program on them in many aspects. It is evident that this program helped the students see the importance of mathematics in their life. Although participants reported excitement and more understanding of their mathematics classroom, a few students complained about the of lack of time and difficulty with language and problem-solving skills. Full article

In this study, we used a quasi-experimental research design with pretest and post-test data collected from an experimental group and a control group to investigate changes in students after participating in a school-based gifted education program (Project GIFT) in Hong Kong. There were 3207 successfully matched students (3rd to 9th graders) joining the Level 1 program (for all students) alone or both the Level 1 program and Level 2 program (for gifted students). Participants of the experimental and control groups completed validated measures on creativity, multiple intelligences, gifted characteristics, self-efficacy, psychological well-being, and satisfaction with life before and after participating in the program(s). One-way ANCOVA results revealed that students in the experimental groups showed positive changes after joining the program(s), with a greater impact for students joining both Level 1 and Level 2 programs. Students participating in both Level 1 and Level 2 programs displayed significant improvement in creativity, academic performance, logical–mathematical intelligence, intrapersonal intelligence, self-efficacy, autonomy, environmental mastery, and personal growth compared to the control counterparts. This study illustrates the benefits of the Level 1 and Level 2 programs in promoting the holistic development of the program participants. Full article

Graph theory is a powerful representation and problem-solving tool, but it is not included in present curriculum at school levels. In this study we perform a didactic proposal based in graph theory, to provide students useful and motivational tools for problem solving. The participants, who were highly skilled in mathematics, worked on map coloring, Eulerian cycles, star polygons and other related topics. The program included six sessions in a workshop format and four creative sessions where participants invented their own mathematical challenges. Throughout the experience they applied a wide range of strategies to solve problems, such as look for a pattern, counting strategies or draw the associated graph, among others. In addition, they created as challenges the same type of problems posed in workshops. We conclude that graph theory successfully increases motivation of participants towards mathematics and allows the appearance and enforcement of problem-solving strategies. Full article

Fully developing the talents of all students is a fundamental goal for personal well-being and development and ultimately for global societal innovation and flourishing. However, in this paper we focus on what we believe is an often neglected and underdeveloped population, that of the gifted. We draw from the cognitive aptitude and gifted education research literatures to make the case that solutions to consequential real-world problems can be greatly enhanced by more fully developing the talents of the intellectually gifted population, which we operationalize in this paper as roughly the top 5% of cognitive talent. Should well-supported high achievers choose to solve them, these problems span health, science, economic growth, and areas unforeseen. We draw from longitudinal research on intellectually precocious students and retrospective research on leaders and innovators in society, showing that mathematical, verbal, and spatial aptitudes are linked to societal innovation. We then discuss two remaining fundamental challenges: the identification of disadvantaged and marginalized groups of students who have traditionally been neglected in selection for gifted programming suited to their current developmental needs, and the building of skills beyond academic ones, specifically in the related areas of open-minded thinking and intellectual humility. Full article

In mathematics education, technology offers many opportunities to enrich curricular contents. Plane symmetries is a topic often skipped by primary teachers. However, it is important and may be worked in attractive ways in dynamic geometry software environments. In any regular classroom there are students with different levels of mathematical attainment, some needing easy tasks while others, particularly mathematically-gifted students, need challenging problems. We present a teaching unit for plane symmetries, adequate for upper primary school grades, implemented in a fully interactive electronic book, with most activities solved in GeoGebra apps. The book allows student to choose which itinerary to follow and attention is paid to different levels of students’ mathematical attainment. The research objective of the paper is to make a networked analysis of the structure and contents of the teaching unit based on the Van Hiele levels of mathematical reasoning and the levels of cognitive demand in mathematical problem solving. The analysis shows the interest of networking both theories, the suitability of the teaching unit, as the Van Hiele levels and the cognitive demand of the activities increases, and its usefulness to fit the needs of each student, from low attainers to mathematically-gifted students. Full article