Ireland’s most gifted children are more than twice as likely to lie about their superior abilities as their American counterparts. And that’s because they’re trying to fit in.
new report from the Center for Talented Youth, Ireland (CTYI) also reveals that girls are much more likely to describe themselves as “dominant”, “perfectionist” and more sensitive to negative feedback – while Ireland’s gifted boys are much more likely to to be “resilient”.
The group that said they were “very resilient” was divided into 60 pct boys and 40 pct girls, while the group that said they were “perfectionist” was divided into 65 pct girls and 35 pct boys.
The findings are part of a report on the country’s gifted children, which will be released tomorrow by Children’s Minister Roderic O’Gorman. It is the culmination of a decade of research, and the first study of its kind in Ireland. It also focuses on the children’s thoughts and fears, as expressed in their own words.
Dr Colm O’Reilly, director of CTYI, which offers courses for students with high academic ability from the age of six, said the report shows a sharp cultural difference in the “mindset” of Irish children compared to American high achievers.
“There’s definitely a structure within America that allows the best to succeed – so kids there are generally going to be more outspoken about doing better in that situation,” he said.
“In Ireland we are a little more introspective about these things – and some feel there is a danger when you put yourself ‘out there’, that some people may even feel happy if you do not succeed. Children are worried that if they say they find a subject or exam easy, they will have a target on their backs, or people will be happy if they do not do so well afterwards.
“This is a big problem for smart children. We really want them to tackle challenges, knowing that they are not going to get everything right, but can still strive for more difficult tasks. The danger is that they are worried about the reaction – so it’s a catch 22 situation.
“We want them to progress, but unfortunately there are people out there who are prepared to fail.”
When asked about their experiences, concerns about peers’ feelings, jealousy, and fear of rejection were all given as possible reasons why they did not focus on their own positive performance.
One Irish male student said: “Some of my friends are not so happy about how well I am doing in tests. I would not mind, but it’s mostly those who are smart themselves. They can become obsessed with doing better than I do. ”
Another Irish secondary school female student said she felt the need to play out her results: “I think I will feel like I’m bragging because others find it difficult and I do not want them to feel bad because they have clearly worked hard. “
Elsewhere, the study found that gifted women are much more prone to perfectionism and are generally more difficult for themselves than boys.
“Everyone is worried about peers and being different, but girls seem to be more receptive to these types of things than boys,” Dr. O’Reilly said.
“Perfectionism definitely comes from girls who are generally more prepared for work, more afraid of feedback. They try really hard to do the best they can.
“But the problem with perfectionism is that it can limit them. Everyone identifies with ‘you hear 10 positive comments and one negative, and you focus on the negative’, but many girls focus on that one negative comment, they do not feel the positive. They are hung up on that one thing and that is very clear in this report.
“Girls can be very sensitive to negative feedback and non-peer acceptance, while boys tend to be more relaxed. It does not seem to affect them that much. ”
The report also charts where children who attend school live. Although each county is represented in Ireland, Dublin has by far the highest percentage of gifted students attending the school at 44pc.
“The people of Dublin would be the main reason for this, but the courses are based on DCU and people tend to go to things closer to home. “Some people may think it’s too far away, and there is also the cost of the shuttle,” said Dr O’Reilly.
“We try to encourage people from more rural areas to attend, because they run the greatest risk of not being close to like-minded peers – and in rural areas, these feelings of isolation can be worse.”
How would you fare in a quiz for super-smart 12-year-olds?
Verbal
1. What word is the strange one from?
a. irrelevant
b: bizarre
c. weird
d. eccentric
2. What word is the strange one from?
a. special
b. universal
c. unique
d. outstanding
3. Which pair goes together in the same way as the first pair
Breed: Building
a. Saai: saad
b. Ent: plant
c. case: tree
d. Open door
4. Which pair goes together in the same way as the first pair
procedure: activity
a. Diplomacy: touch
b. Itinerary: travel
c. Minutes: committee
d. Index: book
mathematics
1. Which of these is greater than 1/4?
a. 1/5
b. 2/9
c. 2/7
d. 3/20
2. The two digits in the number 73 add up to give 10. In total, how many numbers like these are there between 10 and 100?
a. 5
b. 9
c. 10
d. twenty
3. Which number comes next in the row: 1, 8, 16, 25, ….
a. fifty
b. 3. 4
c. 35
d. 29
4. Which number comes next in the row: 16, 39, 85, 177, 361
a. 722
b. 729
c. 739
d. 545
Abstract
How students are recruited to the program
Dr Colm O’Reilly of the Center for Talented Youth said: “We are looking for students who perform academically at or above the 95th percentile. We do this throughout the year through assessments in DCU and across the country. Students may be nominated by their school or by their parents to complete the assessment. Once they qualify for the assessment, they are given a choice of courses to choose from, such as medicine, law, engineering, creative writing, psychology, and they come to DCU [mostly] to follow these courses. ”
answer
Verbal: 1a, 2b, 3c, 4b
Mathematics: 1c, 2b, 3c, 4b
Summary: No2