An Introduction to Replication Research in Gifted Education

Abstract

This methodological brief introduces readers to replication methods and their uses. Broadly defined, replication is the duplication of previously conducted research to verify or expand the original findings. Replication is particularly useful in the gifted education context because so much education theory and research are based on general education students and environments; the extent to which this prior work extends to gifted education contexts needs to be evaluated. The rationale, definition, implementation methods, and current state of replication in the social sciences generally, as well as in giftedness and creativity research specifically, are reviewed. Finally, guidance for conducting replications is provided, including recommendations on selecting important topics, engaging original authors, ensuring sufficient power, using appropriate measures and analyses, framing the manuscript, and submission planning.