A meta-analysis of the relationship between giftedness and life satisfaction

• Main Author: Strelzow, Lee-Ann
• Language: English
• Published: 2009
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/3880

The focus of this paper is the quantitative synthesis of findings in selected literature on longitudinal gifted studies using 'meta-analysis.' In the existing literature there is a plethora of conflicting findings regarding occupational and life satisfaction of gifted individuals. Thus, a meta-analysis investigated the integration of the statistical results of these divergent findings. Nineteen studies were analyzed. The resulting 41 statistical results were transformed into a common effect size measure (ES), correlation coefficient. Using Validity Generalization Methodology, the corrected mean effect size for the relationship between giftedness and satisfaction was .14. When life and occupational satisfaction were separated into two separate effect size estimates, life satisfaction had a corrected mean ES of .10, and occupational satisfaction had a corrected mean ES of .19. No significant difference existed between men and women participants. The relationship of these two measures with giftedness was dependent on a number of variables. In order of strength they include: location of sample studied, location of sample drawn, and gender and age at time of study. Additionally, special school programs for gifted individuals had a mean effect of .10 and a standard deviation of .1. The implications of these findings are discussed in terms of current theories of intelligence and suggestions for further educational investigations are addressed.