A Sample of Gifted and Talented Educators’ Attitudes About Academic Acceleration
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2-1-2013
Abstract
Despite extensive research supporting its use, including the 2004 publication of A Nation Deceived, acceleration is an underutilized strategy for meeting the academic needs of gifted and talented students. Parents’ and educators’ attitudes and beliefs about acceleration influence the extent to which it is implemented in schools. This study investigated gifted and talented educators’ attitudes toward acceleration using a 7-point rating scale measuring concerns about acceleration, beliefs about acceleration, and support for specific acceleration strategies. Data indicated there were no differences in attitudes among teachers from rural, suburban, or urban school districts. Overall, the least popular acceleration strategies were also the easiest to implement, but caused the greatest change in students’ environments (i.e., grade-skipping and early entrance to kindergarten). As expected, the educators were most troubled by social issues and least concerned about academic issues related to acceleration.
Publication Title
Journal of Advanced Academics
Volume
24
Issue
1
First Page
27
Last Page
51
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
10.1177/1932202X12472491
ISSN
1932202X
E-ISSN
21629536
Citation Information
Siegle, Wilson, H. E., & Little, C. A. (2013). A Sample of Gifted and Talented Educators’ Attitudes About Academic Acceleration. Journal of Advanced Academics, 24(1), 27–51. https://doi.org/10.1177/1932202X12472491