Date

6-2015

Department

School of Education

Degree

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Chair

Shante' Moore-Austin

Keywords

African American populations, ethnic minority representation, Gifted and Talented program, Hispanic populations, Native American populations, under representation

Disciplines

Education | Gifted Education

Abstract

The purpose of this research study was to examine the correlation between the alternative gifted selection criteria (e.g., Pathways, Gateways, and Multiple Assessment Combinations) used in six counties in North Carolina for the placement of selected Non-White populations into the gifted and talented (GT) program, in order to identify whether alternative gifted selection criteria were correlated. A correlation design was used in this quantitative research study based on the examination of ex post facto data. The paradigm for this study was pragmatism, as developed by Dewey (1938; 1964), in which it is held that truth is tested by consequences and beliefs (Creswell, 2006). The selected ethnic populations were African American, Native American, and Hispanic. Six counties in North Carolina were identified through a stratified sampling method. In these counties, there were active GT programs in the elementary schools, where varying traditional and alternative gifted selection criteria were used. The selected counties were located in the northern, southern, eastern, and western regions of North Carolina. The alternative gifted selection criteria was reviewed and analyzed. Statistical data and alternative gifted criteria were collected at the county/district and state levels. Pearson Chi-Square statistics were performed using the Microsoft Office Excel program. The statistical analysis results indicated that the observed differences in how African American students were placed into Academically and Intellectually Gifted (AIG) programs (Pathways, Gateways, and Multiple Assessment Combinations) could be related to the ethnicity of the students. Whereas, the results indicated that the observed differences in how Native American and Hispanic students were placed into AIG programs (Pathways, Gateways, and Multiple Assessment Combinations) could not be related to the ethnicity of the students.

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