Who is Gifted? A computerised identification procedure

Abstract

A computerised identification procedure was developed to provide a database for facilitating the identification of gifted children. It employed a multiple criteria definition of the concept of giftedness based on the following principles: Gifted and talented children should be identified as early as possible. The focus of identification is not only to label a child as gifted or talented, but to recognise and respond to each one's educational needs. The identification of the gifted and talented requires the utilisation of both formal and informal measures obtained from many sources in a wide variety of settings. Identification instruments and procedures must match the programmes provided for gifted and talented children. The research showed that matching gifted pupils to special educational programmes could be facilitated by the use of computerised Individualised Educational Programmes (IEPs). This implies the importance of the introduction of microcomputers into schools and their implementation in the teaching/learning process in general, and the importance of making efficient and effective use of computers in special provision for gifted children.