Epistemological Differences Between Gifted and Typically Developing Middle School Students

Abstract

Students’ personal epistemologies, or their beliefs about knowledge and knowing, have a substantial impact on learning, affecting their responses to curriculum, strategy selection, and psychosocial variables. Changes in epistemological reasoning occur similarly to other stage-based developmental schemes, with qualitative shifts in worldviews at each stage. Some research suggests that gifted students tend to develop higher levels of epistemological reasoning earlier than same-aged typically developing peers. The current study extends research in developmental differences to middle school students. A total of 189 sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade gifted or typical students completed the Learning Context Questionnaire. An analysis of variance was conducted to determine differences by Gifted Status and Grade Level. Results of the analysis revealed significant differences between gifted and typical students, with modest effect size, at each grade level. The discussion includes implications for understanding giftedness and related need for rich inquiry-based learning environments.