A Cross-Cultural Comparison of the Perceived Traits of Gifted Behavior

Abstract

This research project addressed the overall research question: “Is there a difference across cultures in the perceived traits of gifted behavior?” A survey was used to identify traits of gifted behavior generally recognized within the United States, and to compare those traits with perceived indicators of gifted behavior implicitly found within the context of nine foreign cultures. The survey was translated into eight languages, and administered to 1.965 university students majoring in education or psychology representing 23 universities in ten countries. International participants in the research included the United States of America, the Western European countries of England, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, and the Asian countries of Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand. Variables included individual gifted traits, and conceptual clusters of cognitive, achievement, motivation, creativity, socio-emotional, and existential qualities. The data also compared education versus psychology, gender, individualistic versus collectivist culture, religion, and the level of involvement in gifted education.