The inconsistencies in the definition of giftedness across states, countries, and the world have been well documented, and gifted teachers can attest to their own experience of vague or inadequate definitions in their programs (Wise, 2023).
In “Gifted and On the Move: The Impact of Losing the Gifted Label for Military Connected Students,” Robyn Hilt introduces subjects who move in and out of gifted programs as part of that family’s mobility. She notes the benefits of the students’ use of their “difference” as a label. Students can develop their own identity parallel to or even outside of the “lost” gifted label to maintain their positive sense of giftedness:
As labeling theory posits, the act of assigning a label tends to shape the behavior of the labeled (Shoenberger et al., 2015). Study participants extended this to the recognition of similar behaviors in others. The qualities that are encouraged by the label criteria become the shared interests and values around which social connections are made. These shared interests and values serve as an unofficial identifier of giftedness over which students maintain control.
Hilt (2023), p. 252
Some effects of mislabeling gifted students can include boredom, isolation, nonconformity, and resentment, which these military family students experienced as well. Providing our students multiple opportunities for definition based on their interests can mean the difference between confidence and insecurities, friendships and isolation.
Hilt also notes in the conclusion that the move towards adaptive advanced academics, which responds to student ability regardless of the “gifted” label, can address a range of student abilities without requiring a monolithic label or unresponsive program that assumes equal ability in all subject areas.
Hilt’s use of the military family’s mobility to investigate the impact of changing school environments for groups, such as those affected by immigration, poverty, or simply family preference to move, was an insightful approach worth revisiting to examine other aspects of student mobility.
SOURCES
Hilt, R. (2023). Gifted and On the Move: The Impact of Losing the Gifted Label for Military Connected Students. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 46(3), 236-258. https://doi.org/10.1177/01623532231180882
Gifted Weekly 