


VanTassel-Baska (1998) provided a succinct summary of the general movement towards a more liberal view of the field in her expanding lens for viewing conceptions of giftedness. Giftedness consists of an interaction among three basic clusters of human traits: In 1978 Renzulli proposed a definition which received worldwide recognition and was used extensively throughout the 1980s. The broad field that giftedness has become had at its roots a narrow definition and middle to upper class aspirations. Early studies demonstrated that the gifted were not socially or emotionally bereft and are often successful throughout their lives (eg: Terman and Hollingworth, 1925 on).ĭesignation of giftedness relied initially on testing for high IQ levels. The 20th century saw the greatest developments in this field. All socio-cultural groups foster development of a range of valued talents and abilities according to their needs and belief systems.Ī large body of research and a resulting literature developed late last century around one key concept usually labelled 'giftedness', along with all of the related concepts and topics such as intelligence, talent, potential, thinking, creativity, identification, underachievement, educational programs and support services.
#Definition of gifted full#
Societies see their future in terms of the contributions of their talented members because a nation's prosperity is dependent upon its utilisation of the full range of available human abilities.
