Uncovering stereotypes and identifying characteristics of gifted students and students with emotional/behavioral disabilities

Abstract

The recognition, understanding, and identification of gifted and talented behaviors in students with exceptionalities has become an increasingly important issue in the management of classrooms, yet, for the most part, the literature continues to ignore this important aspect of teacher education. The present study reports on the results of an instrument that asked preservice and in‐service teachers to categorize a set of characteristics and behaviors according to whether each described a student identified with an Emotional/Behavior Disability (EBD), who is gifted, both, or neither. Results of this survey revealed stereotypical thinking in the identification of characteristics of the student labeled EBD. The degree of teachers’ training and experience also played a role in the understanding and categorization of the characteristics/behaviors used on the survey in this project.