Marcia A. B. Delcourt
Brenda H. Loyd
Dewey G. Cornell
Marc D. Goldberg

This study represents the first major attempt at the national level to assess the effects of programs for the gifted and talented on learning outcomes for elementary school students. The Learning Outcomes Study at the University of Virginia was a two-year investigation of over 1,000 elementary school children in grades 2 and 3. Fourteen Collaborative School Districts (CSD) in 10 states participated in the study. Academic and affective development were evaluated within four popular types of grouping arrangements: Within-Class, Pull- Out, Separate Class, and Special School. Study participants had either just entered gifted programs, were high ability students who did not attend special programs, or were nongifted students. The sample included students from urban, suburban, and rural environments as well as individuals representing underserved populations.

Data collection sources included students, teachers, and parents. Analyses focused on assessments of achievement, attitudes toward learning processes, self-perception, intrinsic/extrinsic motivation, student activities, behavioral adjustment, and teacher ratings of learning, motivation, and creativity. Data were collected in the fall and spring of the 1990-1991 academic year and at the beginning and end of the following academic year. This project addressed three major research questions: (a) Are there significant differences between program types (strategies)? (b) Do any of the program types have differential effects on underserved students? (c) Are there differential effects in achievement for underserved students after the summer break (spring 1991 and fall 1991)? The primary research questions were examined using analysis of covariance procedures, after controlling for initial differences in performance and socioeconomic status. The independent variables were program type (four levels representing participation in one of the programs for the gifted, two comparison groups) and racial/ethnic status. The dependent variables were each of the outcome variables.

In terms of achievement, gifted children attending special programs (specifically special schools, separate classes and pull out programs) performed better than their gifted peers not in programs. As far as measures of affect were concerned, there were no differences by program type or ethnic status with respect to Social Acceptance. Likewise, no significant differences appeared either across groups or according to racial/ethnic status regarding internal vs. external criteria for success/failure. Students from Within-Class and Special School programs felt more capable than nongifted students in making judgments about what to do in school. Students from Separate Class programs were the most reliant on teacher guidance for completing assignments and solving problems. The programs with the lowest scores on the Preference for Challenge scale were the ones with the highest levels of achievement in a traditionally more academic environment, the Separate Class and Special School programs.

Regarding attitudes toward learning, students in Special Schools had the highest scores. This means that they were the most likely to perceive the classroom as a student-centered environment. The most striking pattern among the data from the teacher ratings was the significantly lower scores for students in Special Schools as compared to students in all other types of programs. These results lead to a conclusion that no single program fully addresses all the psychological and emotional needs of students.

Reference:

Evaluation of the Effects of Programming Arrangements on Student Learning Outcomes
Marcia A. B. Delcourt
Brenda H. Loyd
Dewey G. Cornell
Marc D. Goldberg
 

Conclusions

1. The results of the study showed that there were significant differences in achievement and affect for students in different types of programs for the gifted (Special Schools, Separate Classes, Pull-Out Programs, Within-Class Programs). No single program fully addressed all the psychological and emotional needs of gifted students.
2. Gifted children in Pull-Out, Separate Class, and Special School programs showed higher achievement than gifted students who were not in programs and, in most cases, than those from Within-Class programs and nongifted students. Although a limited amount of time was spent in the resource room (approximately 2 hours/week), the emphasis on academics within the Pull-Out model appears to have contributed to the achievement level of these students.
3. Students from the Separate Class programs scored at the highest levels of achievement and at the lowest levels of perception of academic competence, preference for challenging tasks, sense of acceptance by peers, internal orientation, and attitudes toward learning.
4. Students from Within-Class and Special School programs felt that their learning environments gave them the opportunity to make judgments independently. They felt more capable than nongifted students to make judgments about what to do in school. Students in Special Schools were more likely to view their classrooms as student-centered than their peers in all other settings.
5. The achievement levels of African American students in gifted programs remained above the national average throughout the two years of the study.
6. Given a list of standard behavior problems, gifted students were found to have similar problems in kind and degree as nongifted students.
7. Teachers in Special Schools consistently rated their students lower in creativity, learning, and motivation. Therefore, it is recommended that members of selection committees for gifted programs should observe the relative ratings of students nominated for their programs instead of selecting a priori cut-off scores.