Editorial for Gifted and Talented International, 2018

In this double issue of Gifted and Talented International, the importance of developing creativity when educating gifted students is raised at both the school and college level in research from German, Greek, and American contexts. Whilst, research with a focus on educating gifted students is presented from diversely different contexts of China and Jordan.

In the first article of the issue, 'Creative ideation and motivation strategies for learning of academically talented students in Greek secondary school', the researchers, Dimitrios Zbainos and Vassiliki Beloyianni, examined differences in self-regulated learning strategies, motivational beliefs, and creative ideation in a Greek secondary school sample identified as either academically talented, high achieving, and typically achieving. Researchers found the students identified as academically talented reported using learning strategies and higher self-efficacy and motivational beliefs than the other groups of students. Of note, creative ideation was negatively correlated with academic achievement. How this relationship manifests within the context of Greek secondary school education as creative skills are crucial in an ever-changing global context.

The second article with a creativity focus, 'Autonomous creativity: the implicit autonomy motive fosters creative production and innovative behavior at school', was written by Ingrid Rita Baum and Nicola Baumann. The authors were interested in examining the role of autonomy as a motivating trait contributing to creativity. Among their sample of 108 adolescents, they found implicit autonomy dispositions were related to creative production on a figural drawing task and teacher ratings of innovative behavior, even after controlling for achievement motivation. Conversely, concerns about one’s explicit achievement were not predictive of creative production but were positively correlated with teacher ratings of innovative behavior. Conclusions were that an implicit desire for autonomy is related to creativity production more so than explicit motivation for achievement among the youth.

Angie Miller’s study, 'Connecting creative coursework exposure and college student engagement across academic disciplines', examined the relationship between creative coursework and several factors related to university students’ academic and environmental engagement. Miller examined data from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) “Senior Transitions” topical module, which represented responses from 25,000+ seniors at 266 U.S. colleges and universities. Miller’s findings suggested exposure to creative coursework positively predicted several indicators of student engagement (higher order learning, collaborative learning, diverse discussions, supportive environment, etc.) across multiple academic disciplines. Increasing creativity in one’s coursework is an important consideration for those teaching at institutions of higher education given the positive relationship with student engagement.

Authors Sheng-peng Huang, Yan Konga, and Ying (“Allison”) Cheng took a creative look at gifted programs in China in their manuscript, 'Public images of gifted programs in China: a 38-year analysis of Chinese news reports on gifted education'. By utilizing systematic network and content analyses, the authors examined the public opinions of gifted programs over a 38-year period examining 1,486 Chinese news reports on gifted education between 1978 and 2015. Results from the analyses were consistent with public images related to historical Chinese stereotypes about gifted education. These opinions have changed over time to be more balanced approaches to high ability youth and gifted educational systems in China, which authors state is reflective of the “social-constructive nature of giftedness” (p. X).

In the final manuscript in the double issue, 'Gifted Syrian refugee students in Jordanian schools: have we identified them?', we see the authors Ali Alodat and Fawaz Almomani’s interest of refugee populations in Jordanian schools. Their qualitative analysis of interviews with 42 school principals and educational supervisors demonstrated that, despite positive intensions, the services provided for the Syrian refugees are not capturing enough of their high ability youth. Issues related to identification include administrative, legislative, financial, and identification barriers. Authors called for educators to examine their services and professional development offerings to widen their identification to include better the Syrian refugee population.

This double issue of Gifted and Talented International concludes with an interview with Jonathan Plucker, the incoming President of the USA National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) and the Julian C. Stanley Endowed Professor of Talent Development at Johns Hopkins University, USA, and Scott Peters, Professor and Richard and Veronica Telfer Endowed Faculty Fellow of Education at the University of Wisconsin, Whitewater, USA. The interview focused on the history of the Excellence Gap and its implications for US and international educational contexts. The scholars end by providing recommendations for addressing the Excellence Gap and how policymakers must be involved for there to be systematic change.

This interview was conducted by Tyler Clark, Executive Officer of the World Council for Gifted and Talented Children, as well as Dr Julia Roberts, President of the World Council for Gifted and Talented Children (WCGTC), Mahurin Professor of Gifted Studies, and Executive Director of the Centre for Gifted Studies and the Carol Martin Gatton Academy for Mathematics and Science at Western Kentucky University.