The Role of Domains in the Conceptualization of Talent

Abstract

In this article we present research concerning important aspects of domain-specific giftedness. Specifically, we address the evidence regarding the relationship between specific abilities and achievement. Empirical evidence suggests that specific abilities have been used widely and validly for identification of exceptional talent in performance domains, and mathematical and spatial reasoning ability have demonstrated predictive validity for achievement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) domains. We note that domains of talent have unique trajectories and discuss four critical aspects of domain-specific giftedness. These include the developmental nature of giftedness (giftedness moves from potential to competency to expertise and possibly to eminence over time); the temporal nature of giftedness (that domains vary in their starting, peak, and ending points); the contextual aspect of giftedness (societal value of some domains over others, changing of domains and emergence of new domains, and the environmental influences in fostering domain-specific achievement); and the relative nature of giftedness (childhood giftedness is advancement relative to age peers, and adult giftedness is exceptional achievement relative to other domain experts). Finally, we present some implications of a domain perspective on giftedness for educational practice.

Keywords:

• gifted theory
• talent development
• talent domains

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Paula Olszewski-Kubilius

Paula Olszewski-Kubilius is the director of the Center for Talent Development at Northwestern University and a professor in the School of Education and Social Policy. Over the past 32 years, she has created programs for all kinds of gifted learners and written extensively about talent development. She has served as the editor of Gifted Child Quarterly, coeditor of the Journal of Secondary Gifted Education, and on the editorial boards of Gifted and Talented International, Roeper Review, and Gifted Child Today. She currently is on the board of trustees of the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy and the Illinois Association for the Gifted. She also serves on the advisory boards for the Center for Gifted Education at the College of William and Mary and the Robinson Center for Young Scholars at the University of Washington. She is Past President of the National Association for Gifted Children and received the Distinguished Scholar Award in 2009 from NAGC. E-mail: [email protected]

Rena F. Subotnik

Rena F. Subotnik, PhD, is Director of the Center for Psychology in Schools and Education at the American Psychological Association. One of the Center’s missions is to generate public awareness, advocacy, clinical applications, and cutting-edge research ideas that enhance the achievement and performance of children and adolescents with gifts and talents in all domains. She is coauthor of the following recent publications (with Paula Olszewski-Kubilius and Frank Worrell): “The Talent Gap: The U.S. Is Neglecting Its Most Promising Science Students” (Scientific American), “Nurturing the Young Genius: Renewing our Commitment to Gifted Education Is Key to a More Innovative, Productive and Culturally Rich Society” (Scientific American Mind), “Rethinking Giftedness and Gifted Education: A Proposed Direction Forward Based on Psychological Science” (in Psychological Science in the Public Interest), and (with Ann Robinson, Carolyn Callahan, and Patricia Johnson) Malleable Minds: Translating Insights From Psychology and Neuroscience to Gifted Education (National Research Center for Giftedness and Talent). E-mail: [email protected]

Frank C. Worrell

Frank C. Worrell is a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, where he serves as Faculty Director of the Academic Talent Development Program, the California College Preparatory Academy, and the School Psychology program. His areas of expertise include academic talent development, at-risk youth, sociocultural factors related to educational and psychological functioning, scale development, teacher effectiveness, and the translation of research findings into school-based practice. Dr. Worrell was Editor of Review of Educational Research through 2016. He is a Fellow in five divisions of the American Psychological Association (APA), a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science, and an elected member in the Society for the Study of School Psychology. In 2013, he received the Distinguished Scholar Award from the National Association for Gifted Children and, in 2015, the Distinguished Contributions to Research Award from Division 45 of APA, the Society for the Psychological Study of Culture, Ethnicity, and Race. E-mail: [email protected]