The experiences of gifted children growing up : triangulations with the Gulbenkian project

• Main Author: Marshall, Peter
• Published: University of Manchester 1995
• Subjects: 155.4
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.510447

This project is primarily a study of experience of growing up with a gifted level IQ. The primary aim is to triangulate, in a number of ways, with a study by Freeman (1991). Triangulation is important to prevent spurious knowledge developing and being compounded as a result of method-boundedrness, sample-boundedness, theory boundedness and investigator-boundedness of studies. This field appears to be particularly at risk of this because the subject is value-charged and research is often politically motivated. Several kinds of triangulation were attempted, in addition to the obvious investigator triangulation involved, including: triangulation of theory, in which alternative interpretations were considered, triangulation of data, in which a different working universe was used and triangulation of method, in which complementary methodology was employed. The main methodology of the present study amounted to a questionnaire survey, the results of which were statistically analysed, but there were also some group and individual interviews. In the main, it proved impossible to triangulate Freeman's study and the minority of findings which were not challenged featured only very slight associations, many of which are not peculiar to gifted children anyway. This suggests that the findings of that study may have been largely artifacts of the theory, methods and assumptions employed and riot a valid representation of the general population of gifted children's experience of growing up at all. It appears, therefore, that the recommendations that report made to the educational communities of the U. K. and the world in general, based on such findings, may be unfounded.