Self‐concept and gifted girls: A cross sectional study of intellectually gifted females in grades 3, 5, 8

This study examines self‐concept scores of 134 female subjects (104 gifted and 30 non‐gifted) in grades 3,5,8. The students were administered the Piers‐Harris Self‐Concept Scale and the mean total self‐concept scores and scores obtained in six self concept cluster areas were compared. The findings support the related research. The data indicates that the total self‐concept scores of gifted girls declined significantly between grades 3 and 8 and between grades 5 and 8. The mean total self‐concept scores of the control group in grades 3 and 8 also declined significantly, while the difference in scores between the control in grades 5 and 8 was not statistically significant. Eighth grade gifted girls had a much more negative sense of self in the cluster areas of behavior, intellectual and school status, and popularity than non‐gifted girls in the same grade.