Articles are listed in descending order by year (most recent first), and then by first author's last name.
Olszewski-Kubilius, P., Makel, M. C., Plucker, J. A., Subotnik, R. F. (2017). Universal principles of learning require unique applications for gifted students. Canadian Psychology, 58, 271-275.
https://doi.org/10.1037/cap0000118
The question of whether gifted students learn differently from other students has long plagued the psychology and education communities. On the one hand, the field of gifted education has promoted special programs that capitalize on gifted children’s individual abilities and needs. At the same time, evidence from rigorous studies has supported the notion that gifted children, like their age peers, learn optimally in classrooms that apply proven psychological principles. Are gifted students unique, or not? In this commentary, we rely on two versions of recent publications on teaching and learning to make the case that gifted students may be simultaneously unique from—and the same as—typical students. Gifted students are the same as other students in that their learning hinges on general psychological learning principles. However, to be effective, the application of those principles may be different for gifted students than for their classmates. We use four examples of the varied ways in which psychology promotes the application of principles based on the needs of special groups of learners.
Wells, R., Lohman, D., & Marron, M. (2009). What factors are associated with grade acceleration?: An analysis and comparison of two U.S. databases. Journal of Advanced Academics, 20(2), 248–273.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1932202X0902000203
The benefits of whole-grade acceleration for the highest achieving students in K-12 education are widely acknowledged. However, much less is known about which personal, family, and school factors are correlated with student acceleration. Which children are grade accelerated in K-7 education? Have factors associated with grade acceleration changed over time? We analyze data from the NELS (students from 1988-1992) and the ELS (students from 2002-2004) nationally representative and longitudinal databases to answer these questions. Other things being equal, females, Asian Americans, and students living on the U.S. east or west coast were more likely to be grade accelerated. For example, females had odds of being accelerated that were 1.3 times higher than the odds of males being accelerated. Students from the northeastern region of the U.S. had odds of acceleration that were nearly twice (1.9 times) as high as Midwest students’ odds of acceleration. When accelerated students were compared to older classmates of similar achievement who were not accelerated, the accelerated students showed greater gains in achievement than nonaccelerated classmates in and throughout high school. In other words, accelerated students do not just keep up with their older classmates, they actually perform better.
