Academic literature on the topic 'Parents of gifted children Australia Attitudes'

This study investigated culture-dependent attitudes and predictors of these attitudes of teachers (147–Finland, 214–Hong Kong, 160–United States) toward gifted education. Preservice, regular classroom, and gifted education teachers completed the attitude scale toward gifted education developed by Gagné and Nadeau (1985). A new method was introduced as an alternative approach in prediction. Finally, the results of this study were compared to an earlier study using more traditional quantitative methods (Tallent-Runnels, Tirri, & Adams, 2000). Results revealed 5 major predictors of attitudes for the 3 countries. These were whether or not they believed (a) they had gifted children in their school, (b) all children are gifted, (c) gifted children should spend their spare time helping others progress, (d) parents have the major responsibility for helping gifted children develop then talents, and (e) the best way to meet the needs of gifted children is in special classes.

Over the past twenty years, much research has been conducted and emphasis placed on gifted children, their education and development. This article examines differing perceptions of influential factors on gifted children's development. In one study, parents, teachers and gifted children were surveyed regarding their perception of the factors that have contributed to “giftedness.” In a second study, attitudes, as well as behavioral concerns, are addressed. A third study surveys a cross-cultural sample of British educational professionals. The results of these studies are explored and implications for instruction and assessment are offered.

The context in which gifted education operates in Australia provides for differing levels of identification and services. Lacking a federal mandate or funding, states and territories are responsible for addressing the needs of gifted students. Australia contributes to the gifted education research literature, focusing on acceleration, gifted girls, and teacher attitudes. The impacts of a relatively new national curriculum and assessment program have yet to be assessed in terms of their impact on gifted children. This article includes an overview of the policies, models, and barriers facing gifted education in Australia.

Various self-regulated learning (SRL) problems often occur in early childhood during the transition from pre-school to elementary school. The ability to self-regulated learning is im- portant for school readiness and success throughout life, requiring the ability of parents to encourage the development of these abilities. The purpose of this study is to develop childcare strategies on self-regulation, such as children's ability to regulate metacognition, motivation and behavior to re- duce problems. Research produces certain products and tests their effectiveness. Respondents in- volved parents from 18 districts in 9 cities in the technique of data analysis using quantitative and qualitative approaches. The results showed differences in the average scores of children's independ- ent learning both before and after parents learned and applied the contents of the manual book. The result of the effectiveness test is sig = 0,000 <α = 0.05. So, H0 is rejected, and the results of the chi- square test sig = 0,000 <0.05, then H0 is rejected. In conclusion, parenting strategies using manuals so that parents can improve competencies such as parents' knowledge, attitudes and skills, and prove effective in increasing children's independent learning. Keywords: Early Childhood, Parenting strategy, Self-regulated learning References Bandura, A. (1977). Social learning theory. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall. Ben-Eliyahu, A. (2019). Academic Emotional Learning: A Critical Component of Self-Regulated Learning in the Emotional Learning Cycle. Educational Psychologist, 54(2), 84–105. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2019.1582345 Bergen, D., & Davis, D. (2011). Influences of Technology-Related Playful Activity and Thought on Moral Development. American Journal of Play, 4(1), 80–99. Retrieved from http://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ985549 Bjorklund, F, D. (2012). Children’s Thinking: Cognitive Development and Individual Differences. 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Retrieved from http://essay.utwente.nl/73234/ Tiniakou, E., Hirschler, T., Endedijk, M. D., & Margaryan, A. (2018). Becoming self-regulated: Patterns of parenting in the lives of professionals who are highly self-regulated learners. Journal of Self-Regulation and Regulation, 4(0), 7–42. https://doi.org/10.11588/JOSAR.2018.0.49364 Tobias, S., & Everson, H. (2000). Assessing Metacognitive Knowledge Monitoring. Report No. 96-01. College Entrance Examination Board, (96). Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=ED562584&site=ehost -live Veenman, M. V. J., Van Hout-Wolters, B. H. A. M., & Afflerbach, P. (2006). Metacognition and learning: Conceptual and methodological considerations. Metacognition and Learning, 1(1), 3–14. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11409-006-6893-0 Venitz, L., & Perels, F. (2019). Promoting self-regulated learning of preschoolers through indirect intervention: a two-level approach. 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In a study that was conducted in one of the pullout centers in Israel, questionnaires were given to the participants, their teachers in the program, and in their classes, the principals, their parents, and their friends. The questionnaires were focused on a few topics: the identification of the gifted; the level of involvement of he parents; the teaching styles in the program; the problems related to the separation from the schools, the relationships between the schools and the program, and the attitudes towards the program. The attitudes of the students, who wished to stay in the program, differed significantly from those of the students, who didn't wish to stay. The latter were found to be more sensitive. The parents criticized the identification process, while the principals wished to rely more on teachers’ recommendations. Teaching in the program was characterized by extensive creativity, a great level of activity, more depth, openness, and flexibility.

The curriculum required by the gifted is frequently described as qualitatively different. The underlying philosophical assumption is that the gifted child's intellectual ability does not respond to boring and repetitive curriculum tasks. Yet, there are major problems in planning and implementing a differentiated programme for these children due to negative attitudes toward the gifted, limited teachers' expertize in certain subject areas, and lack of school materials. These negative attitudinal factors represent the major obstacle to programming for the gifted because their needs are the lowest priority in most school systems. These negative societal attitudes stem from the public's equation of gifted education with notions of genetic superiority and the establishment of an elite class. Thus, whenever schools are unable/unwilling to provide for these children's needs, the community has an obligation to ensure that these children are provided with programmes that will enable them to achieve at their highest levels. It becomes evident that all available learning resoures must be tapped to enrich and extend these children. Community support is particularly appropriate because it encourages the community to become actively involved in the enhancement of its most valuable natural resource, its bright children. As well, this enables youngsters to interact with practising experts who are willing to share their specialized knowledge and their familiarity with the demands of various professions and occupations. Since 1979, I have demonstrated the feasibility of this notion through my involvement in a community-based enrichment programme. This article describes a rationale for the implementation of a community-based programme and details the procedures used to keep this programme functioning for the last five years.

Recently research was conducted in Queensland, Australia which was designed to describe a more effective approach for the identification of gifted students. The purpose of the research was to contribute to the improvement of current procedures used in the identification of gifted minority children, particularly urban Aboriginal gifted children. The five year study of Dr. Mary M. Frasier at the University of Georgia served as a basic design model for the research. This paper reports the findings from the two data collection activities of the research project. Firstly interviews of urban Aboriginal community members, including parents of gifted Aboriginal children, were undertaken followed by a state wide survey of Aboriginal teachers in Queensland. The aim of both was to gain information concerning how giftedness was perceived and described by urban Aboriginal community members. This information was then utilised to establish the viability of Frasier's work in the identification of Australian gifted Aboriginal students and to suggest modification to Frasier's model which would heighten its cultural relevance to the Aboriginal society

Parenting gifted and talented (G/T) children is a journey with unique experiences that can differ from the lived experiences of parents raising non-gifted and talented children. These unique experiences typically raise concerns, influence decisions, and exacerbate stress and anxiety regarding the children’s future development and education. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the current literature in order to highlight the topic of parenting G/T children with a focus on their exceptional social-emotional needs. Studies support the conclusion that significant determinants of G/T children’s personal growth are authoritative parenting, which provides autonomy and self-motivation, and parents’ behaviors and attitudes toward the exceptional needs of G/T children. Conversely, authoritarian parenting negatively impacts children’s well-being and mental health, impeding the positive development of the child’s potential. Enhancing the caregiving capacity of family members—by reducing the stress associated with their parenting and caregiving roles—can have a powerful impact on the developmental trajectory of gifted children.

This paper presents the findings from a study conducted to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent school closures on the wellbeing of gifted students and their attitudes towards online (distance) learning. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic circumstances on the parents of gifted children was also explored in this study. Data collection was via semi-structured interviews with gifted students (n = 25) and parents of gifted students (n = 10). This study found that school closures and home isolation resulted in gifted students and their parents experienced a heightened sense of burdened and an increase in the tension within the family. Additionally, changes in the psychological wellbeing of the gifted students were observed. COVID-19 has had a significant disruptive effect on the routines of gifted students, restricting their capacity to move freely and causing them to experience adverse outcomes including sleeping difficulties, loneliness, lack of motivation, and a sense of helplessness. Gifted students also reported generally negative attitude towards online learning, describing it as inadequate, inefficient, and limited in its opportunities to promote student interaction and discussion. This paper also includes suggestions on how support for gifted students can be improved to help them to achieve to their potential both during and after the pandemic.

Issues of language shift (LS) and language maintenance (LM) are inevitable consequences of globalization and increased mobility of human populations. This qualitative case study investigated attitudes of migrant parents from Iran towards Persian community language maintenance (CLM) for their school-age children in Australia. Ten parents residing in Melbourne, Victoria were interviewed in two groups and demographic data were collected. The participants were seven female and three male parents who had at least one school-age child. In this qualitative case study, data were analyzed thematically. Three major themes concerning Persian CLM were identified: parents’ attitudes, strategies adopted for maintenance, and challenges for their children. The parents believed that CLM supported cultural identity, preserved family cohesion, and fostered bilingualism, all of which were considered valuable future skills for their children. Interviewees adopted diverse strategies including the establishment of family language use policies, sending their children to Iranian community language school, frequent contacts with extended family in Iran, and the use of Persian media and literature. The influential role of siblings and peers in their children’s language shift, and a lack of age-appropriate Persian books and visual materials were the main challenges to CLM mentioned by the parents in this research.

In a previous study by our research group, parents and teachers of gifted children disagreed about the importance of group work in the inquiry-based classroom, with parents rating group work as less important than did teachers (Syer & Shore, 2001). The purpose of the present study was to attempt to understand this difference of opinion. Parents (n = 15), teachers (n = 11), and a group who were both parents and teachers (n = 5) of gifted children responded to a researcher-designed telephone interview. Teachers perceived parents as competitive and grade-oriented. Parents themselves, however, reported that their opinions of group work were based on their children's negative experiences. Teachers reported that their opinions were affected by their pedagogical knowledge regarding group work. Although parents' and teachers' opinions differed, they were aware of each other's point of view.

In Australia there has been little research into the experiences and perceptions of education of parents from different minority groups whose young children attend school in this country. This study investigated the experiences that overseas born parents from non-English speaking backgrounds have of their own and their children's education in countries outside Australia, experiences of their children's early education in Australia, as well as those of their young children between 6 and 9 years of age attending school in this country. Despite marked differences in educational policies and practices operating in the participants' countries of origin, almost all parents in this study had experiences of education in childhood which were unlikely to be conducive to the building of warm and friendly future relationships with teachers and schools. Feelings of fear and hostility due to the extremely formal role methods, repressive discipline, and harsh corporal punishment administered by authoritarian and often cruel teachers, particularly in early primary years, were consistently described as pervasive elements in the education of most of the parents participating. In contrast, many aspects• of education in Australia were regarded as superior, however unsatisfactory communication, lack of awareness and interest demonstrated by schools and teachers meant that many of these parents also had negative experiences of education in this country. Dissatisfaction with their children's progress resulting in feelings of powerlessness due to the perceived lack of information, concerns about insufficient academic rigour, motivation and discipline were a source' of anxiety for many participants. Discussions with the young children of participants revealed their preferences for non academic activities outside the classroom, and those involving creativity •and/or• motor skills. Children's dislikes related mainly to relationships with their peer group, with difficulties in making /retaining friendships, bullying and racism as issues of concern. Relationships with teachers seemed to be both positive and negative, however little help with problems concerning the peer group seemed forthcoming, and minimal evidence of positive affirmation of the cultural and linguistic differences of these children was noted. Recommendations and implications include the need for teachers and schools to develop more cultural awareness in order to understand the differing perspectives of linguistically and culturally diverse families, and appreciate the role that parents’ prior experiences of education play in the formation of attitudes towards their children’s education. The importance of improving relationships, building authentic collaborative partnerships between teachers and minority group parents, and providing more information about school goals and programmes with opportunities to discuss these freely, is stressed. The use of overseas born parents’ expertise and home experiences both as resources to facilitate optimum outcomes for their children, and a means of increasing respect, understanding and trust between linguistically and culturally diverse families and the “mainstream” school population, is also strongly recommended.

Although the importance of fathers' post divorce contact with their children has been linked with a better outcome for the children and is valued by society, studies in the United States and Australia have suggested that up to 30 percent of fathers do not maintain regular contact with their children post divorce. To date, the literature has focused mainly on demographic variables and some personal characteristics of the father. An area, which has been neglected, is the influence of fathers' perception of legal proceedings and rules on their contact with their children post divorce. This study aimed to explore the underlying concepts of satisfaction and examine fathers' perception of satisfaction in relation to their experience with the Family Court of Western Australia. This was done by utilising qualitative research methodology. Twenty·four fathers were interviewed using an interview schedule adapted from Tyler (1988). Results from the present study indicated that fathers' satisfaction was primarily influenced by a favourable outcome in relation to contact with their children. Factors found to result in dissatisfaction included fathers’ feelings that their father role had been eroded, a perceived bias by the family law system in favour of the mother, and a lack of legal assistance and limited availability of legal personnel. In order to clarify a number of issues, a subset often fathers from the original sample were re-interviewed. Further analysis confirmed that fathers' unresolved issues in relation to their separation; strong emotions including anger and distress during the court process; and unrealistic expectations in relation to contact with their children, made dissatisfaction with the legal system, and in particular court outcomes, more likely. This research suggests that early intervention for fathers is needed to allow them to address any unresolved issues surrounding their separation, and the emotions such as anger and grief that often follow separation. Services, which provide legal assistance and direction prior to entering and during legal proceedings, also appear to be necessary.

Parents of academically gifted children can encounter a range of specific difficulties with the education system, professional services, family and friends. These increase the stress parents experience. Fewer social support structures are available to parents from either the education system or the rest of the community. This research explored the nature and usefulness of support for parents of gifted children in the western region of Melbourne. First, by means of interviews with parents and second, through the development of a self-help/mutual aid support group. Twenty three parents (16 mothers and seven fathers) were interviewed. The data gathered from the interviews and the observational notes from the group were analysed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). The findings indicated that parents’ well-being was adversely affected by different stressors from those usually experienced by other parents. Stressors such as the additional needs of their gifted children, the difficulties encountered with schools, educational policies, and the negative attitudes of giftedness in the wider community. The stress experienced was exacerbated by a lack of social and educational support together with the social stigma of being a parent of a gifted child. Parents reported major frustrations from their unmet social and emotional needs, which often resulted in them being isolated from others. To address this need, an informal support group was established. The support group is considered successful by its longevity and the formation of a sub-group and further proposed sub-groups. It is recommended more support groups be established to address support shortcomings in the western region of Melbourne. This helped to empower parents by providing networks of support and information, and assist with the promotion of psychosocial wellness for parents of gifted children and their families.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between gifted students’ perceived parents’ parenting styles living in a residential academy and socioeconomic status. It was also the purpose to investigate if a relationship exists between students’ perceived parents’ parenting styles and their gender. Parenting style was measured by a validated 60-question Parenting Style Questionnaire. The findings were unlike previous research and suggest that residential gifted students may perceive their parents’ parenting styles more negatively than average ability students. Participants did not perceive their parents’ parenting styles differently among socioeconomic status (SES) which is unlike previous research which uses socioeconomic status as a predictor of parenting style among non-gifted students (Pinderhughes, Bates, Dodge, Pettit, & Zelli, 2000) . Statistically significant differences were also found between gifted students’ perceptions of their mothers and fathers. It is the intention of this study to use the results as a starting point for others to investigate residential gifted students and dedicate more studies to gifted research.
Department of Family and Consumer Sciences