Page 57 - Kukanja Gabrijelčič, Mojca, and Maruška Seničar Željeznov, eds. 2018. Teaching Gifted and Talented Children in A New Educational Era. Koper: University of Primorska Press.
P. 57
Gifted Children’s Drawings and Significant Others’ Needs
abilities that prevail within the specific society they live (Post, 1994). In gen-
eral, several authors over the last two decades were trying to highlight the
importance of the quality of mother – child relationship and the relation-
ships among family members in the learning procedure and intellectual de-
velopment (Boekaerts, 1991; Freeman, 1995). Their conclusions advocate that
parental competence is a key component of young gifted children’s social
competence (Windecker-Nelson et al., 1997). Similarly, Olszewski-Kubilius,
Lee, and Thomson (2014) found high correlation between support and affec-
tion of family relationships and gifted children’s development of interper-
sonal skills and friendships.
Empirical research studies also suggest also teachers who seem to be ef-
fective to identify and teach the gifted students have the following charac-
teristics: enthusiasm (Chandler & Bean, 1998; Heath, 1997; Sisk, 1989; Whitlock
& DuCette, 1989), flexibility (Renzulli, Reis, & Smith, 1981), creativity (Chandler
& Bean), and expertise in the area (Sisk, 1989). Documentation of the ‘creden-
tials’ of teachers is widely accepted as a means of evaluating their general
effectiveness, of increasing their potential to identify the gifted and talented
students and an index of the quality of an educational system. On the other
hand, it is also widely argued that teachers need formal training with a strong
emphasis on methodology courses and strategies to understand student’s
potential and special needs, in order to be considered competent, capable
teachers (Heath, 1997; Shore, Cornell, Robinson, & Ward, 1991) and also to sup-
port all students’ different learning and psychosocial characteristics (Mills,
2003; Mills & Parker, 1998).
Drawings as a Technique to ‘Assess’ the Gifted Students’ Needs
Projective methods such as drawings can be used when other techniques
are excluded because of language or communication restrictions or different
cultural backgrounds (Singh & Rossouw, 2015) and also when a combination
of methods and strategies to explore special characteristics and needs be-
comes necessary. There are many on-going discussions on the need of statis-
tical support for projective techniques, which have lasted several years. Some
authors, prioritize the necessity of proving the existence of certain proper-
ties which inhere in the projective measures before these are regularly ap-
plied, while others, claim that the aforementioned techniques have already
proved their usefulness when related to other valid methods (Frick, Barry, &
Kamphaus, 2010; Lilienfeld, Wood, & Garb, 2000).
An attempt to quantify family drawings was made by Wright and McIn-
tyre (1982), when they created the Family Drawing Depression Scale (FDDS)
55
abilities that prevail within the specific society they live (Post, 1994). In gen-
eral, several authors over the last two decades were trying to highlight the
importance of the quality of mother – child relationship and the relation-
ships among family members in the learning procedure and intellectual de-
velopment (Boekaerts, 1991; Freeman, 1995). Their conclusions advocate that
parental competence is a key component of young gifted children’s social
competence (Windecker-Nelson et al., 1997). Similarly, Olszewski-Kubilius,
Lee, and Thomson (2014) found high correlation between support and affec-
tion of family relationships and gifted children’s development of interper-
sonal skills and friendships.
Empirical research studies also suggest also teachers who seem to be ef-
fective to identify and teach the gifted students have the following charac-
teristics: enthusiasm (Chandler & Bean, 1998; Heath, 1997; Sisk, 1989; Whitlock
& DuCette, 1989), flexibility (Renzulli, Reis, & Smith, 1981), creativity (Chandler
& Bean), and expertise in the area (Sisk, 1989). Documentation of the ‘creden-
tials’ of teachers is widely accepted as a means of evaluating their general
effectiveness, of increasing their potential to identify the gifted and talented
students and an index of the quality of an educational system. On the other
hand, it is also widely argued that teachers need formal training with a strong
emphasis on methodology courses and strategies to understand student’s
potential and special needs, in order to be considered competent, capable
teachers (Heath, 1997; Shore, Cornell, Robinson, & Ward, 1991) and also to sup-
port all students’ different learning and psychosocial characteristics (Mills,
2003; Mills & Parker, 1998).
Drawings as a Technique to ‘Assess’ the Gifted Students’ Needs
Projective methods such as drawings can be used when other techniques
are excluded because of language or communication restrictions or different
cultural backgrounds (Singh & Rossouw, 2015) and also when a combination
of methods and strategies to explore special characteristics and needs be-
comes necessary. There are many on-going discussions on the need of statis-
tical support for projective techniques, which have lasted several years. Some
authors, prioritize the necessity of proving the existence of certain proper-
ties which inhere in the projective measures before these are regularly ap-
plied, while others, claim that the aforementioned techniques have already
proved their usefulness when related to other valid methods (Frick, Barry, &
Kamphaus, 2010; Lilienfeld, Wood, & Garb, 2000).
An attempt to quantify family drawings was made by Wright and McIn-
tyre (1982), when they created the Family Drawing Depression Scale (FDDS)
55
