A paradigm shift in giftedness research: integrating critical realism’s ontology, epistemology, and methodology

ABSTRACT

This paper discusses the integration of critical realist ontology, epistemology, and methodology into giftedness and gifted education research. Although there is no consensus about the complex nature of giftedness, a paradigmatic shift is underway, emphasizing the impact of contextual and social factors in shaping gifted performance. Despite this shift, the ontological, epistemological, and methodological stances are often overlooked, leading to an incomplete understanding of the complex interaction between individuals and their context and constraining the potential to offer realistic and functional interventions for gifted education. Critical realism enables us to explore complex interactions, generate hypotheses, identify causal mechanisms, advance theoretical frameworks, and construct functional interventions for policy practices with its ontological, epistemological, and methodological arguments. This work contributes to the field by showcasing how critical realism's core concepts and tenets can be applied to various aspects of giftedness and gifted education and suggesting multiple avenues for further research.

KEYWORDS:

• Giftedness
• gifted education
• critical realism
• causality
• contextuality

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 In the following, the term ‘gifted’ will be exclusively used. This concept also refers to other synonymously used terms in the field, such as ‘talented’, ‘highly able’, ‘high ability’, or ‘more able’. These terms are used as conceptually overlapping terms in this article as they are based on the understanding of above-average extraordinary performance in a particular field.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Kubra Kirca Demirbaga

Kubra Kirca Demirbaga is a national education expert in the Ministry of National Education in Türkiye and a researcher in the field of gifted education. She completed her Ph.D. in gifted education at Durham University, UK, and her master’s degree in psychology and education at the University of Sheffield, UK. She received her bachelor’s degree in psychological counseling and guidance at Istanbul University, Türkiye. Her research interests are mainly in the areas of giftedness/talent, gifted education, character development and education, and critical realism.