Examining Personality Differences between Scientifically Gifted and Nongifted Students: Indications for Gifted Education and Teacher Trainings

Abstract

Gifted education needs to be constantly improved and differentiated for various types of domain-specific giftedness, especially in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) subjects. Therefore, teachers must be adequately trained in the field of giftedness. The aim of this study was to investigate (the Big Five) personality factors in scientifically gifted and nongifted students to find potential educational adjustments that should be considered during teacher trainings. The sample consisted of N = 372 students between 4th and 7th grade (mean age = 10.62 years, 38.7% female). Scientifically gifted students showed higher scores for Openness and lower scores for Agreeableness than nongifted students. This study provides initial findings about the personality of scientifically gifted students and supports that they should be promoted through problem and action-orientated teaching. More differentiated methods should be used in further research to substantiate the presented tendencies.