As you look at the crisp night sky, you see that one star stands out – brighter than all others. Perhaps, so it is with giftedness: As you look into a classroom, you see that one student stands out – brighter than all others. Although astrophysicists can explain the nature of an extraordinary star, psychologists continue to struggle with how to conceptualize giftedness. Conceptions of Giftedness provides an up-to-date and diverse collection of ideas about what giftedness is and how gifted students should be educated.

There are many ways to conceptualize giftedness, ranging from practical conceptualizations based on years of experience in working with gifted students to political conceptualizations based on moral principles. However, the distinguishing feature of the scientific study of giftedness is that theories are tested against evidence that has been collected using sound methodologies. The theme of this chapter is that there is value in the scientific study of giftedness, that is, in using an evidence-based approach to assessing the usefulness of various theories of giftedness and in assessing the effects of various academic programs for gifted students.

FIVE QUESTIONS ABOUT GIFTEDNESS

In the book's introduction, the editors – Robert J. Sternberg and Janet E. Davidson–begin by listing five questions about giftedness that each author was asked to answer. I attempt to answer the five questions – which are listed in Table 24.1 – based on work presented in these chapters. Then, I briefly offer my opinion concerning future directions for the field.