Special-Class Placement, Level of Intelligence, and the Self-Concepts of Gifted Children: A Social Comparison Perspective

Abstract

Two hypotheses derived from social comparison tested the influence of instructional segregation on the self-concepts of elementary school gifted children. The self-concept scores of half the children were assessed prior to their participation in a one-day-per-week segregated enrichment program for the gifted. The remaining children were tested during program participation. The higher self-concept scores of students assessed prior to the program were interpreted as support for the contention that the reduced heterogeneity of ability in gifted classrooms forces some gifted children to see their abilities in a less favorable light. Each group was further divided by high and low IQ scores (a misnomer). The lowest self-concept scores accrued to low IQ children assessed during program participation. This was interpreted as support for the notion that transition to segregated classes for the gifted most dramatically affects the self-concepts of those children who are at the low end of the distribution of abilities within gifted classes. The self-concept scores of all groups of gifted children were generally robust, but the findings of this study underscore the important influence of children's social/instructional environments on self-concept.