Academically Gifted Students’ Perceived Interpersonal Competence and Peer Relationships

Abstract

Perceptions of the interpersonal competence and peer relationships of 1,526 gifted adolescents who had previously participated in academic gifted programs at the Center for Talent Development were examined, using an online survey. Major findings included that the gifted students had generally positive perceptions of their abilities to initiate, form, and maintain relationships with other people, including same-age nongifted peers, and demonstrated levels of interpersonal ability and peer relationships, comparable to that of grade equivalent students in the norming group. The students did not perceive their giftedness as a negative factor affecting their peer relationships but rated their academic self-concept more positively than their social self-concept. Differences were found by gender and experience with subject acceleration in school, favoring female students over male students and favoring students who were accelerated in a subject in school over students who were not. The results also suggested that gifted students whose academic strength was in the verbal area over other areas were more likely to face difficulties with peer relationships.