Gifted Girls:

1
Gifted Girls

• The Challenge of
• Achieving

2

• Gifted girls face a number of challenges and
  obstacles on the road to achievement. As girls
  grow up they receive many mixed messages that
  undermine their achievement potential.

3
Parental Influences

• From the moment children are born they are
  influenced by environmental cues as to gender
  appropriate behaviors. These cues are coded in
  colored coded clothing and toy choices
• Parents encourage particular attributes by
  gender. Encouraged in boys are aggression,
  outgoingness, independence, while passiveness,
  dependence, and nurturing characteristics are
  encouraged in girls.

4
Parental Academic Expectations

• Parental academic expectations of girls and boys
  differ also. Parents encourage mathematical
  achievement more in boys than girls (Eccles
  Jacobs, as cited in Hanson, 1996), and accept
  lower achievement in mathematics in girls than in
  boys (Maccoby Jacklin, 1974, as cited in
  Hansen, 1996).

5
School Experiences

• Different experiences for girls and boys continue
  in school. Gender inequities, for example, are
  observed in the classroom. The American
  Association of University Women (AAUW) (1992)
  reported that girls receive less teacher
  attention, less complex and challenging
  interaction, and less constructive feedback than
  boys.

6
School Experiences Teachers

• Proponents of the hidden curriculum thesis
  advance that teachers hold different achievement
  expectations (such as lower mathematical
  achievement for girls) for the sexes (Hallinan
  Sorensen, 1987)

7
School Experiences Counselors

• Guidance counselors have been observed to give
  girls less encouragement and information about
  courses and careers in the sciences (Oakes,
  1990). Thus, the influence of teachers and
  counselors can reach far beyond the students
  school years by influencing choices in careers.

8
School Experiences Instructional Material

• The instructional material that girls encounter
  in the classroom are also cause for concern.
  Typically, images of women and their
  contributions are in far lesser numbers than
  mens. In an analysis of 15 language arts, math,
  and history textbooks, Sadker Sadker (1994)
  found that males were represented two to three
  times more often than females. In one 631 page
  text chronicling the history of world, a mere
  seven of the pages were dedicated to women.

9
School Experiences Instructional Material (cont)

• The representation of women in history was no
  better in college textbooks. Sadker and Sadker
  (1994) noted that textbooks are about male
  accomplishment and female invisibility. Centuries
  of recorded history parade before todays college
  students, but women continue to make only a rare
  appearance (pg. 175).

10
Societal Pressures

• In addition to school influences, pre-adolescent
  and adolescent girls begin to feel the influence
  of societal expectations
  
• These include stereotypical female expectations
• Stereotypical media images are also pervasive

11
Societal Pressures (cont)

• Tremendous pressure and influence is exerted by
  peers. As girls approach adolescence, their
  efforts often shift from being the good girl in
  school to being accepted by peer groups.
  Unfortunately, for gifted girls, this acceptance
  entails playing dumb, hiding their intelligence,
  and silencing their voices (Brown Gilligan,
  1992 AAUW, 1999).

12
Societal Pressures (cont)

• There is also tremendous pressure from peers and
  the media for adolescent girls to shift their
  focus from career achievement to romance and
  relationships to be submerged in the culture of
  romance (Holland Eisenhart,1991).

13
Lessons Learned

• There are many causes for concern about the
  lessons are learning in and out of school.
  
• The cultural model of romantic relationships in
  which females are indoctrinated places more
  importance on relationships than personal
  aspirations.
• Thus, girls learn that they must place others
  above themselves.
  

14
Lessons Learned (cont)

• The lack of female representation in textbooks
  results in children having no knowledge of
  womens contributions to history.
  
• Thus, the subtle but enormously powerful lesson
  learned is that womens contributions to society
  are of less value that mens.

15
Lessons Learned (cont)

• This message is reinforced by society in general.
  Women are still paid less than men womens
  sports are given less attention and funding than
  mens media images abound with women in
  demeaning and inferior positions. Thus, girls
  (and boys) are constantly sent the message that
  there is less value in being female.

16
Effect on Gifted Girls

• At what point in development does years of unfair
  treatment begin to have an effect on these girls?
  
  
• Although research examining the development of
  gifted girls is sparse, current research shows
  that there is a plummeting of self-esteem in
  girls as they approach adolescence.

17
Effect on Gifted Girls (cont)

• Terman (1925, as cited in Kerr, 1994) noted
  pre-adolescent gifted girls were confident,
  well-adjusted, and held high aspirations for
  their futures.
• Other researchers have noted that gifted girls in
  the early primary grades are self-assured (Rogers
  Gilligan,1988, as cited in Kerr, 1994) are
  typically outspoken and opinionated and eager to
  have their voice heard (Brown Gilligan,1992).

18
Effect on Gifted Girls (cont)

• This confidence began to erode, however, as the
  girls approach adolescence. (Brown Gilligan,
  1992), for example, noted that they gifted girls
  begin to doubt their opinions and decisions. They
  also had difficulty expressing themselves and
  their concern for being heard had diminished

19
Effect on Gifted Girls (cont)

• This deteriorating sense of self throughout
  girls adolescence and young adult years is cause
  for great concern.
  
• The concern is increased for gifted girls as
  research documents that they tend to have lower
  self-esteem than non-gifted girls
  (Howard-Hamilton Robinson, 1991 Lea-Wood,
  S.S., Clunies-Ross, G. (1995).

20
Effect on Gifted Girls (cont)

• One of the possible effects of decreased
  self-esteem in gifted girls may be failure to
  achieve in career aspirations.
  
• The effect of decreasing self-esteem in gifted
  girls is evident in Arnolds (1994) study of
  Illinois female valedictorians. Although these
  women attained near perfect academic performance
  in high school, they began to doubt their
  abilities in college. Over the years in college
  many experienced a lowering of intellectual
  self-esteem and a high attrition rate among these
  students resulted.

21
Effect on Gifted Girls (cont)

• This attrition rate for women is disconcerting.
  Although women make up high percents of
  undergraduate and graduate students at
  universities, they comprise only 17 percent of
  the nations architects, 8 percent of the
  engineers, 27 percent of law school faculty
  members, and 15 percent of full professors
  (Sadker Sadker, 1994)

22
Effect on Gifted Girls (cont)

• Given the subtle lessons that gifted girls are
  taught, it is no surprise that many gifted
  females fail to reach their full potential. In a
  1996 article Silverman asked the question Why
  are there so few eminent women? She pointed out
  that given the substantial barriers to women
  throughout history (e.g. no independence, no
  access to education, no property rights, no
  support from society, religious doctrine
  forbidding female vocations), it is nothing
  short of miraculous that any women managed to get
  beyond her lot in life (pg. 23).

23
Effect on Gifted Girls (cont)

• A similar comment can be made for todays young
  women given the substantial and potentially
  debilitating barriers of discrimination, lower
  expectations by parents and peers, inferior
  educational experiences, pressure to conform to
  societies expectations for traditional female
  behaviors and romantic pursuits, it remains
  extraordinary that any women are reaching their
  potential and achieving in careers.

24
What Can Be Done?

• Reis (1998) recommends
• Help girls and women to change negative
  self-perceptions
  
• Realize that many women have unconsciously
  internalized negative feelings about themselves
  and other women
  
• Teach gifted girls and women to question and
  speak out
  
• Identify the strengths and interests of girls
  and women
  

25
What Can Be Done? (cont)

• Understand that womens ways of leadership may be
  distinct and different from mens
  
• Discuss issues about work, including the
  pleasures gained from meaningful work
  
• Encourage personality characteristics such as
  independence, smart risk-taking, and
  self-confidence
  
• Encourage girls to be actively invoved in sports,
  athletics, and academic competitions
  
• Provide counseling forums, discussion groups, and
  seminars for girls

26
What Can Be Done? (cont)

• Provide career counseling for gifted girls
• Encourage role models and mentors to be involved
  with girls
  
• Encourage girls in mathematics and science
• Encourage parental awareness of the special needs
  of gifted girls and women
  
• Conduct research on gifted girls

27
What Can Be Done? (cont)

• Noble (1990) recommends
• Psychological education must be made available to
  gifted girls from a very young age to assist with
  life style choices.
  
• Feminist-oriented psychotherapy is important in
  assisting gifted females in developing autonomy,
  independence, psychological stability,
  assertiveness, self-confidence, positive
  self-image, and high self-esteem.
• Math and science course and career counseling
  should be available
  

28
What Can Be Done? (cont)

• Role models and mentors are crucial
• Psychology training programs need to include
  specialized courses and training opportunities in
  gifted psychology
  
• Family counseling and parent education is
  important to help parents support their gifted
  daughters
  
• Conferences and workshops are necessary to allow
  women to interact and share experiences and
  ideas
  
• Our knowledge of gifted girls and women must be
  expanded through more research

29
References

• American Association of University Women (1992).
  How schools shortchange girls. Washington, DC
  American Association of University Women
  Educational Foundation.
• American Association of University Women (1999).
  Gender Gaps Where schools still fail our
  children. Marlowe Company New York.
  
• Arnold, K. (1994). Academically talented women in
  the 1980s The Illinois Valedictorian Project. In
  K. D. Hulbert D. T. Schuster (Eds.). Womens
  lives through time Educated women in the
  Twentieth Century. San Francisco, CA
  Jossey-Bass.

30
References (cont)

• Brown, L. Gilligan, C. (1992). At the
  Crossroads. Cambridge, MA Harvard University
  Press.
  
• Hanson, S. L. (1996). Lost talent Women in the
  sciences. Philadelphia Temple University Press.
  
• Holland, D. C., Eisenhart, M. A. (1990).
  Educated in Romance Women, achievement and
  college culture. Chicago University of Chicago
  Press.
• Kerr, B. A. (1994). Smart girls two A new
  psychology of girls, women, and giftedness.
  Dayton, OH Ohio Psychology Press.
  

31
References (cont)

• Hallinan, M. T. Sorensen, A. B. (1987).
  Ability grouping and sex differences in
  mathematics achievement. Sociology of Education,
  60, 63-72.
• Howard-Hamilton, M. Robinson, T. (1991). Sex
  role characteristics of female governor's school
  students. Gifted Child Today, 32-35.
  
• Maccoby, E., Jacklin, C. (1974). The
  psychology of sex differences. Stanford, CA
  Stanford University Press.
  

32
References (cont)

• Kerr, B. A. (1994). Smart girls Two A new
  psychology of girls, women, and giftedness.
  Dayton, OH Ohio Psychology Press.
  
• Lea-Wood, S.S., Clunies-Ross, G. (1995).
  Self-esteem of gifted adolescent girls in
  Australian schools. Roeper Review, 17 (3).
  
• Noble, K. D. (1987). The dilemma of the gifted
  woman. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 11,
  367-378.
  

33
References (cont)

• Noble, K. D. (1990). Living out the promise of
  high potential Perceptions of 100 gifted women.
  In J. L. Ellis J. M. Willinsky (Eds.). Girls,
  Women, and Giftedness (pp. 123-140). Monroe, NY
  Trillium Press.
• Noble, K. D. (1994). The sound of the silver
  horn Reclaiming the heroism in contemporary
  womens lives. New York Fawcett Columbine.
  
• Oakes, J. (1985). Lost talent the
  underparticipation of women, minorities, and
  disabled persons in science. New Haven Yale
  University Press.

34
References (cont)

• Reis, S. (1998). Work left undone Choices and
  compromises of talented females. Storrs, CT
  Creative Learning Press.
  
• Sadker, M., Sadker, D. (1994). Failing at
  fairness How Americas schools cheat girls. New
  York Charles Scribners Sons.
  
• Silverman, L. K. (1996). Giftedness and gender in
  historical context. In K. D. Arnold, K. D. Noble,
  R. F. Subotnik, (Eds.). Remarkable women
  Perspectives on female talent development (pp.
  23-48). Cresskill, NJ Hampton Press