Contributions of data mining for psycho‐educational research: what self‐organizing maps tell us about the well‐being of gifted learners

Abstract

This article explores applications of the Self‐Organizing Maps method (SOM) to psycho‐educational data. The study examines the psychological well‐being, self‐regulatory and motivational styles of pupils at elementary and middle school (N 795). The presentation of the method appears in cases which are related to general education, special needs and giftedness. The aim of this article is to show that SOM provides a unique means with which to visualize, comprehend and interpret psycho‐educational data. The SOM method is a convenient method used to identify and study exceptional subgroups and non‐linear correlations, as well as to examine theoretical assumptions. The results showed that high academic achievement is related to anxiety, as well as to external and internal pressure, in some gifted subgroups. Such a result is obviously socially constructed and for this reason calls for further study.