Differences in Beliefs and Attitudes toward the Improvability of Writing of Gifted Students Who Exhibit Mastery-Oriented and Helpless Behaviors

Abstract

Teachers classified students enrolled in middle/junior high school gifted programs into mastery-oriented, helpless, and neither mastery-oriented nor helpless (NMO/H) groups. Mastery-oriented students consistently scored higher than the helpless group on measures of ability to improve quality of writing, motivation to write, confidence in writing, and general attitude toward writing. The mean score of the students in the NMO/H group consistently fell between the mean scores of the mastery-oriented and helpless groups. The results of the study supported the hypothesized differences between the implicit theories of intelligence held by mastery-oriented and helpless students. Implications for the field of gifted education are discussed.