Unfair Expectations: A Pilot Study of Middle School Students' Comparisons of Gifted and Regular Classes

Students in a sixth grade gifted class were asked to write an essay comparing and contrasting their experiences in gifted classes and regular classes. This data was collected as part of a semester-long qualitative study of motivation patterns in middle school gifted classrooms. The specific intent of the essay assignment was to address the special issues in motivation which arise when a child is labelled “gifted” and placed in a classroom full of intellectual peers. Responses were analyzed and clustered into themes via group consensus. A major theme expressed by students was that teachers and peers outside the gifted class seem to have unfair expectations for the gifted students. Specific topics included grading, group work, lack of acknowledgement for effort, treatment by peers, and teacher expectations.