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Eight gifted and eight general-education students engaged in discussions regarding their observations of, experiences in, and recommendations for education. Six categories emerged through qualitative analysis of their conversations. These categories include: problem solving, task commitment, self-perceptions, education, communication, and discrimination. Content within each category provides a glimpse into the students' perceptions of their schooling experiences. The roles of ethnic identity development, identification with majority culture, adolescence, and giftedness are examined and recommendations for future research are provided.
Adolescence is a critical developmental period. The relationship middle-school students' feel toward their school communities, including those with peers and teachers, can greatly affect their sense of belonging, which can, in turn, affect their academic performance (Eccles, Early, Frasier, Belansky, & McCarthy, 1997; National Research Council, 2003). When adolescents are children of immigrants, speak two languages, and have educational needs and talents that are unrecognized or devalued, the challenges of adolescence may be increased.
Role Identity Theory
While autonomy and individualism are important components of identity development during adolescence (Bonfenbrenner, 1989; Erickson, 1968; Marcia, 1980), the needs for connection and belonging are central considerations (B. M. Newman & P. R. Newman, 2001). Identification with an ethnic group provides individuals with group norms and mores that help define the individual as a group member. Multiple variables affect ethnic group membership, including beliefs, values, race, and norms (B. M. Newman & P. R. Newman). Both intrinsic and extrinsic experiences of ethnicity affect an individual as she/he strives to make meaning of his/her internal feelings and external interactions with society. The formation of a group identity is not based upon specific rules, nor is an individual limited to affiliation or identification with one group, as individuals may identify with multiple groups, informed by their social, familial, political, economic, and educational interactions. Thus, multiple dimensions of identity may be formed as an individual recognizes himself/herself connected with various groups (Sheets, 1999).
Extending Erickson's work, others have explored the development of identity roles; Hogg, Terry, and White (1995) define this construct as the way individuals see themselves in particular roles or social groups. Such roles are prioritized by the individual based on the value attributed to each, with more highly regarded roles occupying the uppermost positions in this hierarchy, and those...