Research: Most gifted students feel supported, but one in three feel stigmatized
Gifted students are often placed in separate classes under different expectations. And while some experience school just like any other kid, a recent study from the University of Georgia found some gifted students face challenges their peers don’t.
About one in three gifted students said they struggled to connect with others and didn’t feel like they belonged in the new study. Some felt isolated because they were labeled as gifted while others believed teachers and fellow students treated them differently because they were gifted.
“It was surprising that only about one-third of the gifted students reported feeling some sort of stigma related to their giftedness,” said lead author Shannon Carter, a recent graduate from UGA’s Mary Frances Early College of Education and an eighth grade science teacher. “I really thought that would be a higher number.
“We anticipated that more students might report struggles, but it was good to know that most of them were just like their non-gifted peers.”