The empirical validation of cognitive domain characteristics in the gifted screening checklist

Abstract

The identification of gifted children is an interactive procedure consisting of two consecutive steps – screening for above-average cognitive abilities, followed by their monitoring. Teacher nomination is among the most widely used methods of screening. However, it is not free from bias. The analysis of screening criteria is of prime importance for gifted education. The aim of our study was to assess the criterion-related validity of the checklist for outstanding cognitive characteristics suggested by Clark (2008). Eighty-three teachers screened for giftedness 1230 children in 6- to 9-grades. Twenty-one of them nominated as gifted by the concordant opinion of three teachers were confirmed to be gifted by the scores of Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children – IIILT (≥ 2 standard deviations above average intelligence). Results confirm the predictive power of the checklist. Mostly non-significant correlations with achievement outcomes indicate these children to be “underachievers”. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated the two factors (verbal and non-verbal) underlying the cognitive performance of gifted children.