GIFTEDNESS AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AS DETERMINANTS OF COMPETENCE SELF-PERCEPTION IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

Abstract

Conducting this research, we wanted to explore the competence self-perception in gifted elementary school students and to compare different aspects of gifted and non-gifted children’s self-perception. In addition to this, we investigated gender differences as well as the correlation between self-perception and academic achievement. The research sample comprised 62 participant, 31 gifted and 31 non-gifted children aged 10 to 15. A matched participant design was used and the controlling variables were: academic achievement in the current and previous grades, gender and a socio-economic status. All the participants were tested by two instruments: The Socio-Demographic instrument and the Self-Perception Profile for Children developed by Susan Harter (1985), which measures six aspects of self-perception (competencies): school competence, social competence, sports competence, physical competence, behavioral competence and general self-perception. The results showed that the highest level of students’ competence was observed for the school competence aspect, then behavioral one, followed by general self- concept, while a lower level of physical and sports competence was reached. Furthermore, there is a statistically significant correlation between most of the personal competence sub-scales, except between sports competence on the one hand, and school competence and behavioral competence, on the other hand. This implies that competence self- perception is the construct comprised of different interrelated aspects and if one shows a tendency for positive self-perception in one aspect; most probably that person will have positive self- perception in another as well. No statistically significant differences were found between the gifted and the non-gifted children, which means that giftedness is not an important factor of self-perception. Also, gender differences were significant only among the gifted children where the boys perceived themselves as more competent in the social and physical aspects.